Very often, the third movie in a set is pretty bad, or at least worse than its predecessors.

If you could pick any third movie (whether or not it's part of a "trilogy") and you could redo some or all of it, what would you do? Recast? Different director? Totally different story direction (and, if so... be specific)?

Very often, the third movie in a set is pretty bad, or at least worse than its predecessors.

If you could pick any third movie (whether or not it's part of a "trilogy") and you could redo some or all of it, what would you do? Recast? Different director? Totally different story direction (and, if so... be specific)?

The Virgin Connie Swail

Search for Spock, ditch the "cheated" explanation for Genesis breaking up. Just say it was the nebula, and why they had chosen a barren planet to test it on. Also get rid of David, Saavik and random red shirts would have been fine.

Spider-Man, better part for Mary Jane. Have them married or something. Harry should have gotten the talk from the butler before he got in a fight with Peter. Make it clear the 70's style of Peter was because the symbiote remembers the 70's. "This is cool, right? I remember this being cool." Brock, I don't know it was just so lame. Sandman could be replaced with the Lizard. But have Dr. Connors live after Peter saves him. MJ preggers. Aunt May hooks up with Jameson Sr. Peter could even get crippled thus leading to the M2 future Spider-Girl. It may not have made for a better movie, but hey.

The Virgin Connie Swail

Search for Spock, ditch the "cheated" explanation for Genesis breaking up. Just say it was the nebula, and why they had chosen a barren planet to test it on. Also get rid of David, Saavik and random red shirts would have been fine.

Spider-Man, better part for Mary Jane. Have them married or something. Harry should have gotten the talk from the butler before he got in a fight with Peter. Make it clear the 70's style of Peter was because the symbiote remembers the 70's. "This is cool, right? I remember this being cool." Brock, I don't know it was just so lame. Sandman could be replaced with the Lizard. But have Dr. Connors live after Peter saves him. MJ preggers. Aunt May hooks up with Jameson Sr. Peter could even get crippled thus leading to the M2 future Spider-Girl. It may not have made for a better movie, but hey.

Rain Partier

No General Grievous. Cyber Darth Maul instead.Minimal CGI. Actually go on location, etc.Look back at the Darth Vader/Skywalker duels and other intense, one on one fights like from Enter the Dragon.Rework that scene with Anakin turning against Mace. And turning evil.

Rain Partier

No General Grievous. Cyber Darth Maul instead.Minimal CGI. Actually go on location, etc.Look back at the Darth Vader/Skywalker duels and other intense, one on one fights like from Enter the Dragon.Rework that scene with Anakin turning against Mace. And turning evil.

Rain Partier

Godfather III, having Sofia Coppela play Michael's daughter is too distracting. I know Wynona Rider was supposed to do it but had to back out, so Francis used his daughter. But she's not much on looks, and I have a hard time believing Andy Garcia would fall for her.

Rain Partier

Godfather III, having Sofia Coppela play Michael's daughter is too distracting. I know Wynona Rider was supposed to do it but had to back out, so Francis used his daughter. But she's not much on looks, and I have a hard time believing Andy Garcia would fall for her.

Fagorstorm

Revenge of the Sith annoys me because it's the best one but it also contains one of my least favorite things in the entire series.

I hate HAAAATE the bullshit explanation for how Padme' died by losing the will to live. She just gave birth to her children and she can't hold on for them? That kills any respect the audience should have for her as a character.

It's especially bad because it's a better story if Darth Vader caused her death by force choking her. It makes his story a little more tragic and doesn't make her look so damn weak.

Revenge of the Sith annoys me because it's the best one but it also contains one of my least favorite things in the entire series.

I hate HAAAATE the bullshit explanation for how Padme' died by losing the will to live. She just gave birth to her children and she can't hold on for them? That kills any respect the audience should have for her as a character.

It's especially bad because it's a better story if Darth Vader caused her death by force choking her. It makes his story a little more tragic and doesn't make her look so damn weak.

Wrasslin' Fan

Spider-man 3: Let Raimi make the movie he wanted.X-Men 3: Wait patiently for Singer to finish Superman Returns, let Singer make the movie he wanted.Star Wars: Episode III: Thought this was fineStar Trek: Search for Spock: Thought this was fineBatman Forever: Kept the original Schumacher cut.POTC: At World's End: Thought this was fine.Dark Knight Rises: One of the best movies ever, pretty perfect.Matrix: Revolutions: Thought this was fine.Star Trek: Nemesis: Wouldn't make it.

Wrasslin' Fan

Spider-man 3: Let Raimi make the movie he wanted.X-Men 3: Wait patiently for Singer to finish Superman Returns, let Singer make the movie he wanted.Star Wars: Episode III: Thought this was fineStar Trek: Search for Spock: Thought this was fineBatman Forever: Kept the original Schumacher cut.POTC: At World's End: Thought this was fine.Dark Knight Rises: One of the best movies ever, pretty perfect.Matrix: Revolutions: Thought this was fine.Star Trek: Nemesis: Wouldn't make it.

When you're as good as Chael, you can only call out people worse than you.

OMCTO

No General Grievous. Cyber Darth Maul instead.Minimal CGI. Actually go on location, etc.Look back at the Darth Vader/Skywalker duels and other intense, one on one fights like from Enter the Dragon.Rework that scene with Anakin turning against Mace. And turning evil.

I mean, why have:

when you could have:

Believe it or not, my best friend, my wife, and I were just talking about how we would redo the prequel trilogy (and the entire six movie saga as a whole) last week. A lot of it ended up being very similar to what the Belated Media guy was talking about, but there would also be some changes.

EPISODE I * One of the biggest changes is that Naboo is no longer Naboo; it's Alderaan. This does two things. First, it ties directly back to the original trilogy. Let's face it, after Episode I, no one cares about Naboo anymore and by Episode III, no one even mentions it. Alderaan, however, has an emotional resonance. You know how this history is going to play out. Also, it explains how the Trade Federation was able to militarily run rough-shod over them; because, as Leia pointed out in Episode IV, they have no military.

* Obi-Wan Kenobi is the central character, definitely. He's a little naive and has a tendency to become very passionate very quickly about causes and people, but he's still got a good head on his shoulders and is definitely someone you can see becoming the old sage down the road.

* Padme is no longer the queen, but the junior senator under Bail Organa, who is also her mentor. This allows you to introduce Bail early on as an important character but also another character: C-3PO. A gold-plated protocol droid? That just screams something something that an important senator, who also has ties back to a planetary dynasty, would have.

* Make Anakin older, as the video said, but also play up that he has some peculiarities. Things like unexplainable luck or a natural affinity for things that he has never done before or an unusually high level of empathy. Things that a being with no training but that was literally birthed by the Force (yes, keep that whole thing but lose the midichlorians) would be able to do. In fact, a lot of what the video recommended regarding Anakin's introduction, I would keep. But there's one thing I would add. I would establish, vaguely at first but then explicitly during the podrace (which Anakin has never done), that Anakin has some anger issues. Understandable anger, anger at the injustice of his position as a slave and at the situation surrounding him as a whole, but anger none the less. This would manifest itself during the podrace when Sebulba cheats to get ahead of him and, without really meaning to do so, he uses the Force to cause Sebulba to crash. Anakin is freed and Qui-Gon has his proof that there is something special about this kid.

* As an aside, I would actually go out of my way to make sure that the Tatooine is a bustling planet. This will be important later.

* Mace Windu, and not Yoda, who is semi-retired, is the head of the Jedi Council. When Qui-Gon presents both Obi-Wan for full knighthood and Anakin as a candidate for being a trainee (and strongly, if not explicitly stating his belief that he is The Chosen One), Windu agrees to the first and vehemently disagrees with the latter. His reason is two-fold: first, that he is too old to begin the training; and second, and more importantly, he senses the anger bubbling just below the surface. However, between Qui-Gon's arguments that he can help Anakin direct that anger toward justice and the rest of the Council's near-religious hub-bub about finally having their Chosen One, Windu relents but has serious reservations.

* Palpatine is not a senator, but rather the Minister of Defense. The Republic has a military, but more along the lines of a peace keeping/defense force. Think the Japanese military, but on a galactic scale. This allows him to work closely with the Jedi, who are the "Guardians of the Republic" and who is pushing them, from behind the scenes, to deal with the Trade Federation/Alderaan issue on the grounds that the T.F. has overstepped its bounds as an economic block and is threatening the stability of the Galaxy. However, there are many senators who disagree with this, seeing the Trade Federation and their refusing to stand down from what they perceive as an acceptable reaction to whatever trade dispute they had with Alderaan to cause the blockade as the big bureaucratic Republic trying to supress an extra-political organization into playing the way they think it should. This lays the ground for the Separatist movement later on.

* Obi-Wan, now a full-fledged Jedi Knight, Qui-Gon, Anakin (who Qui-Gon brings along because he wants to personally see to his training as opposed to handing him off to Windu), and Padme return to Alderaan leading a totally-unofficial-but-really-officially-sanctioned Republic task force to try breaking the blockade and neutralizing the Federation leadership on Alderaan in one fell swoop. The whole Obi-Wan-Padme implied romance could really work. Heck, I agree with the video that you can even keep the Gungans or, heck, if you really wanted to blow some minds and connect it even more to the Expanded Universe, make the Gungans into the Killik. Anyway, the Alderaanians/Republic forces and the Gungans/Killik strike a deal to get the Trade Federation off of Alderaan.

* At this point, I would have Anakin meet another young (though a few years older) Tatooinian who has joined up with the Republic Defense Forces as a pilot: Lars Owen, and his astromech droid R2-D2. The two of them would form a friendship that would exist throughout the next two films and make his death in Episode IV mean more.

* The Battle for Alderaan would be a large set-piece, with the Gungans/Killik, along with Owen, Anakin (who has never flown a fighter before but once again has an intuitive proficiency at it), and a few other pilots mounting a frontal attack while Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon lead a strike team into the heart of the Federation leadership on Alderaan. Darth Maul shows up. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan do battle with him while Padme and the Republic strike force try to break through the Viceroy. Padme gets wounded, Obi-Wan breaks away from his fight long enough to try to save her, and Qui-Gon gets scewered. Obi-Wan jumps back and eviscerates Maul. Just as in the original, Qui-Gon's dying request is for Obi-Wan to train Anakin, which Obi-Wan agrees to do. He also explicitly makes clear that he now knows that his passion, however rightly placed, is his path to the Dark Side, which is why by Episode IV, he's all-but-stoic about things.

* The movie would end with Palpatine, in full Darth Sidious garb, overseeing the rebuilding of Darth Maul, with everything proceeding just as he had foreseen.

EPISODE II * It has been eight years since the end of Episode I. The Senate is almost half-empty as, in the aftermath of the Battle for Alderaan and the increasingly-strong arm tactics of the Valorum chancellory. Obi-Wan and Anakin are quite the duo now, with Lars Owen being their go-to contact with the Republic Defense Force. Mace Windu is still distrusting of Anakin, who he sees as reckless and arrogant with his immense Force powers, as well as still barely keeping a reign on his anger at what he perceives as injustice. Bail Organa and Padme are still the senators for Alderaan, though Padme has grown to become a very popular figure who smart money places as one day holding a ministerial position or maybe even the Chancellorship (at the risk of being too political, think Obama's perceived role during his time in the Senate but before his announcement of a presidential run). You can also intimate that during the eight years since the end of Episode I, Padme and Anakin have grown closer and have feelings for each other, though neither will admit it.

* There is some sort of overt attack by the the newly-formed Confederacy of Independent Systems using their droid forces, in conjunction with an assassination attempt on Padme and Organa by a strike team of Mandalorians (led by Jango Fett). Obi-Wan and Anakin are the first to arrive on the scene and battle the Mandalorians throughout parts of Coruscant. At one point, the two Jedi are seperated and Anakin gets pinned down by three of the assassins. With no other foreseeable alternative, Anakin Force-chokes one of the Mandalorians and uses the Force to boomerang his misplaced lightsaber through the other two just as Obi-Wan arrives. The overt use of the force as a weapon, combined with the sheer violence of the affair, causes Obi-Wan to become concerned for his apprentice. Anakin is bothered for a moment, but justifies it to himself and gets over it quickly.

* The twin attacks cause Minister Palpatine to put the entire RDF on high alert and the Jedi Council, in conjunctions with the Senate, to send a special envoy to the seat of the CIS on Raxus to try and stave off further violence. They are joined by the venerated Master Yoda, who has been in semi-retirement and meditation on Dagobah after feeling the rise in power of the Dark Side but has returned to unmask the truth behind the Separatist Movement and the growing Darkness. While Yoda's presence is jarring and while it almost forces a cessation of hostilities, Darth Maul and a contingent of Mandalorians arrive and attack the Republic mission. Yoda thoroughly trounces Maul without drawing his lightsaber, but Maul escapes while the Mandalorians kill several Jedi and Senators.

* In light of the attack on Raxus, Minister Palpatine addresses the Senate and announces that the threat of the CIS is far too great to rely solely on the RDF or even the vaunted Jedi to handle on their own. To that end, with his powers as Minister of Defense and with the blessing of Chancellor Valorum, Palpatine has commissioned a clone army to be used against the CIS, pending full support of the Senate. The Senate seems divided, but narrowly agrees to the measure, giving Palpatine full go-ahead to build not only an army, but a navy as well using his clones (who in this version are not simply clones of the same dude, but look far more factory made and non-descript... a very THX look, completely with barcodes and hairless bodies).

* Meanwhile, Anakin and Obi-Wan have taken Padme back to Alderaan to recover from the assassination attempt. Obi-Wan is uneasy, both for being in a place that reminds him of his failure years earlier and because of Anakin's growing rebelliousness to the Jedi Code, as well as the increasingly obvious fact that he and Padme are in love and barely attempting to keep it a secret anymore. Anakin, for his part, is feeling suffocated by Kenobi and Windu's constant lectures about control and proper use of the Force and confides in Padme that he thinks that the Jedi should simply march into Raxus and force the Separatists back into line at the point of a lightsaber blade. Padme demurs, but admonishes him to remember what is important and not to compromise his honor for a quick fix.

* The Clones win several decisive victories against the CIS, including an orbital bombardment (read, glassing) of a Separatist world. In response, Mace Windu recalls Obi-Wan to Coruscant, though he allows Anakin to stay on Alderaan (again, because he does not trust him and wants him out of the way for his plans). Windu and the Jedi Council, with Kenobi and several other Jedi Knights, tell Palpatine that the clones' wanton use of firepower is a danger to whatever moral high ground the Republic is seeking to maintain, as well as risking pushing the CIS into further rebellion. To whit, the Jedi should be put in charge of the clone Storm Trooper forces, along with RDF officers (i.e. Lars Owen). While Palpatine agrees to this, it has the immediate effect of turning many in the Senate and the populace at large against the Jedi, who see them as a deterring force to a quick end to the war.

* A major offensive is launched against the planet Geonosis, where the CIS has a large armory and shipyard. Anakin, appraised of the situation by Obi-Wan, leaves Padme on Alderaan (with a promise to return to her regardless of what Obi-Wan or the Council think) and joins up with the Republic forces. Again, the Battle of Geonosis would be a large set-piece. Once on the ground, Anakin and Obi-Wan lead their clone troops, but are separated when Darth Maul again attacks with a whole mess of Mandalorians. Obi-Wan goes after Maul to settle their feud, while Anakin tries to hold the line with his troopers against both the Mandalorians and the droid army. As he watches innocent Geonosians get caught in the crossfire between the two armies, Anakin loses it, grabs a second lightsaber, and goes wild. During his free-for-all, he is now openly using Force-choke, excessively-violent Force pushes, and even uses the Force to literally tear Jango Fett limb from limb.

* Anakin once again finds Obi-Wan, who is still fighting Maul and winning, and jumps into the fight. However, Maul is able to neutralize Obi-Wan and provoke Anakin further with taunts of how he killed the first person who had any faith in Anakin. Anakin again loses his cool and gets an arm and leg taken off by Maul, who while far less powerful than Anakin in the Force is far more experienced in a battle of Dark Side powers. Maul again escapes and Obi-Wan admonishes Anakin for letting his emotions get the better of him, which Anakin responds that if Obi-Wan hadn't been holding back, Maul would be dead now.

* The movie ends with Yoda arriving on Coruscant and sitting in on a meeting between Palpatine and Windu. After a few words with Mace, Yoda turns to Palpatine and makes it very clear that he knows that Palpatine is playing a game and that when the time comes, he will step in to deal with it once and for all. Palpatine, who uses the Force to make his shadow seem larger and breaks into his Emperor voice, replies that when that time comes, what makes Yoda so sure that he can deal with him. Yoda forces back some of Palpatine's shadow and walks away without another word. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan is watching a big screen (think Times Square size screen) replay of Anakin's actions on Geonosis, with cheers and adulation being heaped on his apprentice. Windu arrives and the two of them discuss the way that the war is shaping up and how public sentiment is turning away from the Jedi in a way that it has never done so before. Windu also mentions that the Council, despite his objections, has voted to make Anakin a full-fledged Jedi Knight in light of his bravery and skills at Geonosis. Windu straight out asks Obi-Wan if Anakin is going to be a problem, to which Obi-Wan replies that he will not be. Meanwhile, Lars Owen lands a transport on Alderaan and Anakin, now with a robotic leg and arm, limps off of the ship and into the waiting arms of Padme.

EPISODE III * Three years pass since the end of Episode II. The war is dragging and the Republic government and populace blame the Jedi for holding back the clones. The only Jedi that has any sort of public sentiment behind him is Anakin Skywalker, who has become a superstar general (he's freakin' Captain America with a lightsaber). Bail Organa has retired from his position as Senior Senator to become an aide and counselor to Padme, who now holds that position. Padme and Anakin are barely concealing their relationship (as in, everyone including the Jedi Council are all but sure that it is happening but don't say anything), including the fact that Padme is visibly pregnant. The CIS, with Darth Maul acting as general, launch a surprise attack on Coruscant and the Senate Chamber itself as Chancellor Valorum to make an announcement regarding a peace summit. Anakin and Obi-Wan lead several Jedi and a battalion of Storm Troopers into a pitched battle inside the Senate itself while Captain Lars Owen coordinates his fighter squadron with Kenobi and Skywalker. Once again, Anakin unabashedly uses excessive force in dealing with the droids and the Mandalorians while Obi-Wan confronts Maul. The two have a straight up duel, which Obi-Wan is able to take the advantage in. Maul, in seeming desperation, grabs Valorum and dares Obi-Wan to risk hurting him. As they stand in stalemate, Anakin appears behind Maul and lops off Maul's head.

* After the battle, Palpatine reveals to the Jedi and the Senior Senators that intelligence has determined that, after the loss of Raxus and Dac over the course of the war, the Confederate Council has made a final redoubt on Utapau. In recognition for his heroism and leadership, Palpatine appoints Anakin as military executor of the Clone Forces and as his personal liason to the Jedi Council. Windu, who of course has come to be more and more wary of Skywalker because of his actions during the war, reacts badly (giving that whole thing about admitting Anakin to the council but not giving him the rank of master a lot more personal animosity behind it). Obi-Wan tries to console his former apprentice and best friend by saying that once he and several other sympathetic members of the council have a chance to speak with Windu, that everything will be put to right. He also cautions Anakin about his new role and says that while it is a great opportunity, Anakin should not let his passion for righting every wrong in the galaxy outweigh the oath he took as a Jedi Knight. Later Anakin complains to Padme about the entire situation and that Obi-Wan has become more and more condescending, while he should be following Anakin's lead. Padme cautions that he and Palpatine have gained a great deal of power over the last few years and that with his new promotion, many in the Senate are concerned with what will happen regarding the military after the war is over. Anakin accuses her of siding with Obi-Wan and storms out.

* The Battle of Utapau is launched and Anakin and Obi-Wan, along with a handful of other Jedi and several divisions of Storm Troopers, lay waste to the last of the droid and Mandalorian forces protecting the Separatist leadership. Upon the capture of the council, Anakin calls for their immediate summary executions, but Obi-Wan and Windu step between Anakin and the captives. Obi-Wan asks Anakin if what he is calling for the justice he believes in. Anakin agrees to have them stand trial, but that after that trial they will die for their crimes.

* Anakin returns to Coruscant a hero. He speaks with Palpatine and reports on the actions of the Jedi Council at Utapau. Palpatine remarks that sometimes for the good of the many, a single person must make a decision, no matter how unpopular that decision is. He then begins spouting, in a roundabout way, Sith political philosophy until finally revealing to Anakin that he was Darth Maul's master and a full fledged Lord of the Sith. Anakin realizes that everything that has happened over the last decade has been Palpatine's maneuvering, to which Palpatine replies that finally all of the dissension and disatisfaction in the Republic has been rooted out and that a true peace has been enforced across the Galaxy. Anakin leaves. A short time later, Palpatine, in full Emperor garb, enters into Valorum's office and kills the old man with his lightsaber.

* Meanwhile, Yoda returns and tells Windu that events are spinning out of hand and that the Dark Side has taken such a deep root in the heart of the Republic that he doubts if it will ever be exorcised. Windu bemoans that he has not been able to save the Republic as past grandmasters had and that even with their so-called Chosen One, he fears the Jedi will forever be lost to who they once were. Yoda comments that perhaps the prophecy of the Chosen One was misunderstood.

* Anakin returns to Padme and vaguely tells her what he knows and asks her advice. She says that if there is something wrong of the scale he is talking about, he should tell the Jedi Council and Obi-Wan. Anakin then goes and does just that, though Obi-Wan has not returned from Utapau yet. Windu and the senior members of the Jedi Council go to Palpatine's office, where they find the body of Valorum and Palpatine himself sitting waiting. After Palpatine manipulates Windu into broadcasting their conversation over the holonet (with Palpatine of course playing the martyr), Palpatine unleashes his attack and kills all by Windu, who engages him in a furious duel. Meanwhile, Anakin is restless with Padme. Padme makes the comment that the needs of the many, meaning for the Republic, are always greater than the needs of the one, in this case either Palpatine or Anakin. Anakin, however, interprets this as meaning that Palpatine was right and he storms over to Palpatine's office, where he finds Windu ready to strike down Palpatine. Using his Force power, Anakin literally catches Windu's blade with his bare hand, giving Palpatine the opening to unleash his Force Lightning and fry Windu. Anakin immediately regrets his actions, but Palpatine reminds him that not only had the Jedi tried to kill him to prevent him from preserving the peace they had fought so long for, it was the Jedi's meddling that had caused the war to last as long as it had. He also tells Anakin that not using their powers to bring immediate and final peace and justice to the Galaxy would itself be irresponsible. Anakin agrees and acknowledges that he will never realize his full potential or bring about the lasting change he believes in as a Jedi, agreeing to begin his life anew as Palpatine's Sith Apprentice.

* Palpatine issues Order 66 while Anakin decimates the Jedi Temple with his personal legion of Storm Troopers, the 501st. As Jedi across the Galaxy, who are either returning to Coruscant to celebrate the end of the war or are on mop-up missions, are gunned down, Palpatine also orders the summary executions of the entire Confederacy Council. Palpatine, along with Anakin, then announce to the Senate that the Jedi murdered Chancellor Valorum and attempted to take over the government, as proven by the holonet transmission. Under the emergency powers given to him as Minister of Defense, Palpatine declares an immediate state of martial law and the reorganization of the government into an imperial one, to better root out the threat of the Jedi once and for all. While there are many who approve of this action, Padme and Bail Organa, along with quite a few other senators, leave in disgust.

* Obi-Wan, having survived his own encounter with Order 66, realizes that there are only a small handful of Jedi left. Using a long-forgotten code, he calls for all remaining Jedi to go to the Jedi safehouse on Mustafar.

* Meanwhile, Padme and Bail Organa leave Coruscant in protest of the new actions, but not before Anakin confronts her about her opposition to the government. She tells him that they are through and that he is no longer the man she loved. She also tells him that Obi-Wan was right about him all along, that his power and his anger made him far too dangerous. Anakin says that she has betrayed him to side with Obi-Wan and that if she leaves now, he can't protect her anymore. She and Bail leave anyway. No sooner does Bail Organa's ship break orbit than a small flotilla of Republic Star Destroyers close in on them. However, it is revealed that Owen Lars has led a mutiny against the clones following news of Palpatine's takeover and that their ship would escort them back to Alderaan.

* Obi-Wan and the few remaining Jedi Knights, having now seen the footage of Anakin's attack on the Jedi Temple, try to come up with a plan for how to proceed. Their planning is interrupted by the arrival of a flotilla of ships. Padme contacts Obi-Wan from aboard the largest ship and says that she could not, in good conscience, leave the Jedi to fend for themselves. They discuss Anakin's betrayal and the likelihood that a confrontation between the two men is inevitable. Obi-Wan tells her that if that happens, he doesn't think he can cross blades with his best friend.

* Palpatine contacts Anakin and tells him that the Imperial Intelligence has intercepted and deciphered a message instructing all Jedi to go to Mustafar. Palpatine then reveals imaging that clearly shows Padme going aboard and then leaving a rebel Star Destroyer captained by Anakin's old friend. Feeling utterly betrayed by everyone close to him, Anakin begins to despair, but Palpatine admonishes him to see this as his rebirth. Anakin Skywalker is no more. He must be reborn as Darth Vader.

* Anakin takes his flagship and several support ships to Mustafar, where he is confronted by Lars' flotilla. After an unsuccessful attempt by Owen to try and get him to see reason, Anakin takes to his personal fighter and enters the battle, whereupon he unleashes Force powers on a massive scale (think Force Unleashes level stuff). As rebellious RDF ground forces and several of the remaining Jedi begin to engage the Storm Troopers that are landing, Padme and Bail try to get Obi-Wan and as many of the other Jedi to board Padme's ship as possible to escape. Anakin arrives on the planet after shooting down (but not destroying) Owen and begins wreaking havoc on the assembled Jedi and RDF forces. As he cleaves through the last of the Jedi Council on his way toward Obi-Wan, Padme confronts him and begs him to stop and see what he is becoming. Anakin responds that this is her last chance to return home with him and enjoy the peace that they had worked so hard to secure. Padme responds that if the peace he wants looks like this (with Storm Troopers and TIE Fighters cutting down all opposition), then she wants no part of it or him. Anakin declares that she and Bail are traitors to the Imperial Senate along with the Jedi and that they are hereby under arrest and will stand trial.

* As he approaches her, Padme pulls a blaster on him and fires wildly, which he instinctively blocks with his lightsaber. Enraged, Anakin begins to Force-Choke her. Obi-Wan, who had been dealing with Storm Troopers, sees what is happening and Force-Pushes Anakin through a wall. Bail and Owen, along with R2, arrive on the scene and find a mortally wounded Padme in Obi-Wan's arms. Obi-Wan instructs the men to take Padme, who is going into labor, aboard the ship and prepare to leave. Anakin gets back on his feet and begins walking toward the group. Obi-Wan intercepts him and asks, as he did on Utapau, if this is the justice he believes in, to which Anakin replies that this is revenge for everything Obi-Wan has taken from him. Obi-Wan says that the Anakin he loved and who could have saved the Galaxy is truly dead. The fight begins.

* Meanwhile on Coruscant, Yoda again enters into Palpatine's presence, this time in the in-construction Imperial Throne Room. Yoda remarks that he had long believed that the truth of the prophecy was that the balance brought by the Chosen One to the Force was going to be one that saw the influence of the Jedi waning. He remarks that the only reason he had not acted against Palpatine up to that point was because he knew that, had he struck Palpatine down, some other evil would have taken his place and the end result would have been the same, if not worse. Palpatine replies that Yoda is the last vestige of a defeated ideology and that when he strikes him down, his victory over the Jedi and their useless spirituality will be gone forever. The two begin to fight, though not with lightsabers. Their battle is with the straight-up Force. Force Lightning. Force Storms. Force Shockwaves. Force Vortexes. Pretty much every non-physical Force offensive or defensive ability you can think of. After Palpatine overpowers him and nearly crushes him underneath the roof, Yoda stands and ignites his lightsaber. Palpatine does the same and the two again go at it with much more ferocity. Palpatine is able to disarm Yoda, but Yoda is able to drive him back with an exceptionally powerful Force Push. Palpatine then begins to draw on the Force Well beneath the former Jedi Temple, which Yoda realizes could collapse the planet if it is infused with too much Dark Side. Not willing to endanger a whole planet to ensure that Palpatine is defeated, Yoda retreats, knowing that his one chance to end the threat of the new Emperor has passed and that he will be forced to live with his failure for the rest of his life. He escapes aboard an Imperial shuttle and then a Star Destroyer using a series of illusions and mind tricks.

* Back on Mustafar, the battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin seems very one-sided. Obi-Wan is spending most of his time being scrappy and trying to stay just one step ahead of his former apprentice while Anakin is simply ripping apart whole portions of the installation (and the planet) in an attempt to kill his prey. The twins are born aboard Padme's ship, thanks in large part to C3PO and R2-D2's assistance to Bail and Owen. However, Padme finally dies of her injuries and the traumatic delivery. Owen says that they should leave immediately without Obi-Wan to save the twins, but Bail begs him to give the Jedi Master more time. Obi-Wan and Anakin continue to battle back and forth, with Obi-Wan scoring tactical blows where he can while barely staying ahead of Anakin's onslaught. The fight ranges all over the installation until Obi-Wan manages to gain the high ground. Obi-Wan tells Anakin that he is exhausted and that there is no way that he can continue the fight without risking death. Anakin charges ahead anyway and gets most of his limbs sliced off for his trouble. Obi-Wan debates finishing the crippled and slowly burning Anakin off, but still can't bring himself to kill his brother and best friend. He returns to the ship and he, along with Owen, Bail, the droids, and the twins, leave for Alderaan.

* Padme's funeral is held while Owen, Bail, and Obi-Wan try to figure out what to do next. They are joined by a worn-down Yoda, who reveals his own failure and that all he has left to him is his lifetime of experience to teach those who would fight the Emperor's evil. He also reveals that Anakin is still alive. Cut to Palpatine and the remaining members of the 501st taking the wounded Vader to a massive fortress on Vjun, where we once again get to see the birth of the Darth Vader we all know and love. Obi-Wan beats himself up over his part in Anakin's fall, but Yoda reminds him that as the Chosen One, Anakin was almost certainly always going to bring about the balance of the Force through the decimation of the Jedi and that had it not been for the people in his life who had inspired him to good, the end could have been much worse. Owen also points out that no matter what anyone else did to him or what part they may or may not have played in allowing Anakin to go as far as he did, every man is responsible for his own actions. The four then agree that the twins should be split up and hidden away, knowing that if the Emperor or Vader were to discover their existence he would not rest until they were under their control or destroyed. Bail takes Leia, reasoning that with his continued popularity and political clout with both the senate and the galactic populace at large, the Emperor would be loathe to act against him while he was still consolidating his power (though Owen does tell R2 to go with him to keep an eye on things). Owen takes Luke and decides to return with his wife to Tatooine. When Obi-Wan volunteers to go to ensure Luke is safe, Owen tells him that he is free to go wherever he wants, but that Obi-Wan is to stay away from Luke, reasoning that aside from the fact that if Vader knows where Obi-Wan is he will almost certainly come for him, that Luke and Leia both deserve a chance to live their lives without any damn fool crusades putting them in their father's shadow. Obi-Wan agrees, but says that if either of the children ever want to explore their Force potential, he would not hesitate to help them. Owen and Bail agree, provided it is the child's choice and that the truth about Anakin's fall and his identity be kept a secret. The four part ways.

* The movie ends with Yoda sitting alone on a stump on Dagobah looking up at the sky; The Emperor is overseeing the mobilization of a whole division of Storm Troopers while the Imperial Star Destroyers and TIE Fighters we all know and love fly overhead as Vader stands behind him, looking as wistful as is possible in the armor; Bail and his wife with a young (four or five year old) Leia standing in front of the flame marking Padme's grave and pointing to a distant star; and finally, Owen and Beru showing a same-aged Luke the stars outside their home on Tatooine, while far in the distance Obi-Wan watches all of them before himself looking to the stars.

The rest of the movies would largely remain the same, with some small tidbits here and there or tweaks to scenes to underscore the overall message.

No General Grievous. Cyber Darth Maul instead.Minimal CGI. Actually go on location, etc.Look back at the Darth Vader/Skywalker duels and other intense, one on one fights like from Enter the Dragon.Rework that scene with Anakin turning against Mace. And turning evil.

I mean, why have:

when you could have:

Believe it or not, my best friend, my wife, and I were just talking about how we would redo the prequel trilogy (and the entire six movie saga as a whole) last week. A lot of it ended up being very similar to what the Belated Media guy was talking about, but there would also be some changes.

EPISODE I * One of the biggest changes is that Naboo is no longer Naboo; it's Alderaan. This does two things. First, it ties directly back to the original trilogy. Let's face it, after Episode I, no one cares about Naboo anymore and by Episode III, no one even mentions it. Alderaan, however, has an emotional resonance. You know how this history is going to play out. Also, it explains how the Trade Federation was able to militarily run rough-shod over them; because, as Leia pointed out in Episode IV, they have no military.

* Obi-Wan Kenobi is the central character, definitely. He's a little naive and has a tendency to become very passionate very quickly about causes and people, but he's still got a good head on his shoulders and is definitely someone you can see becoming the old sage down the road.

* Padme is no longer the queen, but the junior senator under Bail Organa, who is also her mentor. This allows you to introduce Bail early on as an important character but also another character: C-3PO. A gold-plated protocol droid? That just screams something something that an important senator, who also has ties back to a planetary dynasty, would have.

* Make Anakin older, as the video said, but also play up that he has some peculiarities. Things like unexplainable luck or a natural affinity for things that he has never done before or an unusually high level of empathy. Things that a being with no training but that was literally birthed by the Force (yes, keep that whole thing but lose the midichlorians) would be able to do. In fact, a lot of what the video recommended regarding Anakin's introduction, I would keep. But there's one thing I would add. I would establish, vaguely at first but then explicitly during the podrace (which Anakin has never done), that Anakin has some anger issues. Understandable anger, anger at the injustice of his position as a slave and at the situation surrounding him as a whole, but anger none the less. This would manifest itself during the podrace when Sebulba cheats to get ahead of him and, without really meaning to do so, he uses the Force to cause Sebulba to crash. Anakin is freed and Qui-Gon has his proof that there is something special about this kid.

* As an aside, I would actually go out of my way to make sure that the Tatooine is a bustling planet. This will be important later.

* Mace Windu, and not Yoda, who is semi-retired, is the head of the Jedi Council. When Qui-Gon presents both Obi-Wan for full knighthood and Anakin as a candidate for being a trainee (and strongly, if not explicitly stating his belief that he is The Chosen One), Windu agrees to the first and vehemently disagrees with the latter. His reason is two-fold: first, that he is too old to begin the training; and second, and more importantly, he senses the anger bubbling just below the surface. However, between Qui-Gon's arguments that he can help Anakin direct that anger toward justice and the rest of the Council's near-religious hub-bub about finally having their Chosen One, Windu relents but has serious reservations.

* Palpatine is not a senator, but rather the Minister of Defense. The Republic has a military, but more along the lines of a peace keeping/defense force. Think the Japanese military, but on a galactic scale. This allows him to work closely with the Jedi, who are the "Guardians of the Republic" and who is pushing them, from behind the scenes, to deal with the Trade Federation/Alderaan issue on the grounds that the T.F. has overstepped its bounds as an economic block and is threatening the stability of the Galaxy. However, there are many senators who disagree with this, seeing the Trade Federation and their refusing to stand down from what they perceive as an acceptable reaction to whatever trade dispute they had with Alderaan to cause the blockade as the big bureaucratic Republic trying to supress an extra-political organization into playing the way they think it should. This lays the ground for the Separatist movement later on.

* Obi-Wan, now a full-fledged Jedi Knight, Qui-Gon, Anakin (who Qui-Gon brings along because he wants to personally see to his training as opposed to handing him off to Windu), and Padme return to Alderaan leading a totally-unofficial-but-really-officially-sanctioned Republic task force to try breaking the blockade and neutralizing the Federation leadership on Alderaan in one fell swoop. The whole Obi-Wan-Padme implied romance could really work. Heck, I agree with the video that you can even keep the Gungans or, heck, if you really wanted to blow some minds and connect it even more to the Expanded Universe, make the Gungans into the Killik. Anyway, the Alderaanians/Republic forces and the Gungans/Killik strike a deal to get the Trade Federation off of Alderaan.

* At this point, I would have Anakin meet another young (though a few years older) Tatooinian who has joined up with the Republic Defense Forces as a pilot: Lars Owen, and his astromech droid R2-D2. The two of them would form a friendship that would exist throughout the next two films and make his death in Episode IV mean more.

* The Battle for Alderaan would be a large set-piece, with the Gungans/Killik, along with Owen, Anakin (who has never flown a fighter before but once again has an intuitive proficiency at it), and a few other pilots mounting a frontal attack while Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon lead a strike team into the heart of the Federation leadership on Alderaan. Darth Maul shows up. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan do battle with him while Padme and the Republic strike force try to break through the Viceroy. Padme gets wounded, Obi-Wan breaks away from his fight long enough to try to save her, and Qui-Gon gets scewered. Obi-Wan jumps back and eviscerates Maul. Just as in the original, Qui-Gon's dying request is for Obi-Wan to train Anakin, which Obi-Wan agrees to do. He also explicitly makes clear that he now knows that his passion, however rightly placed, is his path to the Dark Side, which is why by Episode IV, he's all-but-stoic about things.

* The movie would end with Palpatine, in full Darth Sidious garb, overseeing the rebuilding of Darth Maul, with everything proceeding just as he had foreseen.

EPISODE II * It has been eight years since the end of Episode I. The Senate is almost half-empty as, in the aftermath of the Battle for Alderaan and the increasingly-strong arm tactics of the Valorum chancellory. Obi-Wan and Anakin are quite the duo now, with Lars Owen being their go-to contact with the Republic Defense Force. Mace Windu is still distrusting of Anakin, who he sees as reckless and arrogant with his immense Force powers, as well as still barely keeping a reign on his anger at what he perceives as injustice. Bail Organa and Padme are still the senators for Alderaan, though Padme has grown to become a very popular figure who smart money places as one day holding a ministerial position or maybe even the Chancellorship (at the risk of being too political, think Obama's perceived role during his time in the Senate but before his announcement of a presidential run). You can also intimate that during the eight years since the end of Episode I, Padme and Anakin have grown closer and have feelings for each other, though neither will admit it.

* There is some sort of overt attack by the the newly-formed Confederacy of Independent Systems using their droid forces, in conjunction with an assassination attempt on Padme and Organa by a strike team of Mandalorians (led by Jango Fett). Obi-Wan and Anakin are the first to arrive on the scene and battle the Mandalorians throughout parts of Coruscant. At one point, the two Jedi are seperated and Anakin gets pinned down by three of the assassins. With no other foreseeable alternative, Anakin Force-chokes one of the Mandalorians and uses the Force to boomerang his misplaced lightsaber through the other two just as Obi-Wan arrives. The overt use of the force as a weapon, combined with the sheer violence of the affair, causes Obi-Wan to become concerned for his apprentice. Anakin is bothered for a moment, but justifies it to himself and gets over it quickly.

* The twin attacks cause Minister Palpatine to put the entire RDF on high alert and the Jedi Council, in conjunctions with the Senate, to send a special envoy to the seat of the CIS on Raxus to try and stave off further violence. They are joined by the venerated Master Yoda, who has been in semi-retirement and meditation on Dagobah after feeling the rise in power of the Dark Side but has returned to unmask the truth behind the Separatist Movement and the growing Darkness. While Yoda's presence is jarring and while it almost forces a cessation of hostilities, Darth Maul and a contingent of Mandalorians arrive and attack the Republic mission. Yoda thoroughly trounces Maul without drawing his lightsaber, but Maul escapes while the Mandalorians kill several Jedi and Senators.

* In light of the attack on Raxus, Minister Palpatine addresses the Senate and announces that the threat of the CIS is far too great to rely solely on the RDF or even the vaunted Jedi to handle on their own. To that end, with his powers as Minister of Defense and with the blessing of Chancellor Valorum, Palpatine has commissioned a clone army to be used against the CIS, pending full support of the Senate. The Senate seems divided, but narrowly agrees to the measure, giving Palpatine full go-ahead to build not only an army, but a navy as well using his clones (who in this version are not simply clones of the same dude, but look far more factory made and non-descript... a very THX look, completely with barcodes and hairless bodies).

* Meanwhile, Anakin and Obi-Wan have taken Padme back to Alderaan to recover from the assassination attempt. Obi-Wan is uneasy, both for being in a place that reminds him of his failure years earlier and because of Anakin's growing rebelliousness to the Jedi Code, as well as the increasingly obvious fact that he and Padme are in love and barely attempting to keep it a secret anymore. Anakin, for his part, is feeling suffocated by Kenobi and Windu's constant lectures about control and proper use of the Force and confides in Padme that he thinks that the Jedi should simply march into Raxus and force the Separatists back into line at the point of a lightsaber blade. Padme demurs, but admonishes him to remember what is important and not to compromise his honor for a quick fix.

* The Clones win several decisive victories against the CIS, including an orbital bombardment (read, glassing) of a Separatist world. In response, Mace Windu recalls Obi-Wan to Coruscant, though he allows Anakin to stay on Alderaan (again, because he does not trust him and wants him out of the way for his plans). Windu and the Jedi Council, with Kenobi and several other Jedi Knights, tell Palpatine that the clones' wanton use of firepower is a danger to whatever moral high ground the Republic is seeking to maintain, as well as risking pushing the CIS into further rebellion. To whit, the Jedi should be put in charge of the clone Storm Trooper forces, along with RDF officers (i.e. Lars Owen). While Palpatine agrees to this, it has the immediate effect of turning many in the Senate and the populace at large against the Jedi, who see them as a deterring force to a quick end to the war.

* A major offensive is launched against the planet Geonosis, where the CIS has a large armory and shipyard. Anakin, appraised of the situation by Obi-Wan, leaves Padme on Alderaan (with a promise to return to her regardless of what Obi-Wan or the Council think) and joins up with the Republic forces. Again, the Battle of Geonosis would be a large set-piece. Once on the ground, Anakin and Obi-Wan lead their clone troops, but are separated when Darth Maul again attacks with a whole mess of Mandalorians. Obi-Wan goes after Maul to settle their feud, while Anakin tries to hold the line with his troopers against both the Mandalorians and the droid army. As he watches innocent Geonosians get caught in the crossfire between the two armies, Anakin loses it, grabs a second lightsaber, and goes wild. During his free-for-all, he is now openly using Force-choke, excessively-violent Force pushes, and even uses the Force to literally tear Jango Fett limb from limb.

* Anakin once again finds Obi-Wan, who is still fighting Maul and winning, and jumps into the fight. However, Maul is able to neutralize Obi-Wan and provoke Anakin further with taunts of how he killed the first person who had any faith in Anakin. Anakin again loses his cool and gets an arm and leg taken off by Maul, who while far less powerful than Anakin in the Force is far more experienced in a battle of Dark Side powers. Maul again escapes and Obi-Wan admonishes Anakin for letting his emotions get the better of him, which Anakin responds that if Obi-Wan hadn't been holding back, Maul would be dead now.

* The movie ends with Yoda arriving on Coruscant and sitting in on a meeting between Palpatine and Windu. After a few words with Mace, Yoda turns to Palpatine and makes it very clear that he knows that Palpatine is playing a game and that when the time comes, he will step in to deal with it once and for all. Palpatine, who uses the Force to make his shadow seem larger and breaks into his Emperor voice, replies that when that time comes, what makes Yoda so sure that he can deal with him. Yoda forces back some of Palpatine's shadow and walks away without another word. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan is watching a big screen (think Times Square size screen) replay of Anakin's actions on Geonosis, with cheers and adulation being heaped on his apprentice. Windu arrives and the two of them discuss the way that the war is shaping up and how public sentiment is turning away from the Jedi in a way that it has never done so before. Windu also mentions that the Council, despite his objections, has voted to make Anakin a full-fledged Jedi Knight in light of his bravery and skills at Geonosis. Windu straight out asks Obi-Wan if Anakin is going to be a problem, to which Obi-Wan replies that he will not be. Meanwhile, Lars Owen lands a transport on Alderaan and Anakin, now with a robotic leg and arm, limps off of the ship and into the waiting arms of Padme.

EPISODE III * Three years pass since the end of Episode II. The war is dragging and the Republic government and populace blame the Jedi for holding back the clones. The only Jedi that has any sort of public sentiment behind him is Anakin Skywalker, who has become a superstar general (he's freakin' Captain America with a lightsaber). Bail Organa has retired from his position as Senior Senator to become an aide and counselor to Padme, who now holds that position. Padme and Anakin are barely concealing their relationship (as in, everyone including the Jedi Council are all but sure that it is happening but don't say anything), including the fact that Padme is visibly pregnant. The CIS, with Darth Maul acting as general, launch a surprise attack on Coruscant and the Senate Chamber itself as Chancellor Valorum to make an announcement regarding a peace summit. Anakin and Obi-Wan lead several Jedi and a battalion of Storm Troopers into a pitched battle inside the Senate itself while Captain Lars Owen coordinates his fighter squadron with Kenobi and Skywalker. Once again, Anakin unabashedly uses excessive force in dealing with the droids and the Mandalorians while Obi-Wan confronts Maul. The two have a straight up duel, which Obi-Wan is able to take the advantage in. Maul, in seeming desperation, grabs Valorum and dares Obi-Wan to risk hurting him. As they stand in stalemate, Anakin appears behind Maul and lops off Maul's head.

* After the battle, Palpatine reveals to the Jedi and the Senior Senators that intelligence has determined that, after the loss of Raxus and Dac over the course of the war, the Confederate Council has made a final redoubt on Utapau. In recognition for his heroism and leadership, Palpatine appoints Anakin as military executor of the Clone Forces and as his personal liason to the Jedi Council. Windu, who of course has come to be more and more wary of Skywalker because of his actions during the war, reacts badly (giving that whole thing about admitting Anakin to the council but not giving him the rank of master a lot more personal animosity behind it). Obi-Wan tries to console his former apprentice and best friend by saying that once he and several other sympathetic members of the council have a chance to speak with Windu, that everything will be put to right. He also cautions Anakin about his new role and says that while it is a great opportunity, Anakin should not let his passion for righting every wrong in the galaxy outweigh the oath he took as a Jedi Knight. Later Anakin complains to Padme about the entire situation and that Obi-Wan has become more and more condescending, while he should be following Anakin's lead. Padme cautions that he and Palpatine have gained a great deal of power over the last few years and that with his new promotion, many in the Senate are concerned with what will happen regarding the military after the war is over. Anakin accuses her of siding with Obi-Wan and storms out.

* The Battle of Utapau is launched and Anakin and Obi-Wan, along with a handful of other Jedi and several divisions of Storm Troopers, lay waste to the last of the droid and Mandalorian forces protecting the Separatist leadership. Upon the capture of the council, Anakin calls for their immediate summary executions, but Obi-Wan and Windu step between Anakin and the captives. Obi-Wan asks Anakin if what he is calling for the justice he believes in. Anakin agrees to have them stand trial, but that after that trial they will die for their crimes.

* Anakin returns to Coruscant a hero. He speaks with Palpatine and reports on the actions of the Jedi Council at Utapau. Palpatine remarks that sometimes for the good of the many, a single person must make a decision, no matter how unpopular that decision is. He then begins spouting, in a roundabout way, Sith political philosophy until finally revealing to Anakin that he was Darth Maul's master and a full fledged Lord of the Sith. Anakin realizes that everything that has happened over the last decade has been Palpatine's maneuvering, to which Palpatine replies that finally all of the dissension and disatisfaction in the Republic has been rooted out and that a true peace has been enforced across the Galaxy. Anakin leaves. A short time later, Palpatine, in full Emperor garb, enters into Valorum's office and kills the old man with his lightsaber.

* Meanwhile, Yoda returns and tells Windu that events are spinning out of hand and that the Dark Side has taken such a deep root in the heart of the Republic that he doubts if it will ever be exorcised. Windu bemoans that he has not been able to save the Republic as past grandmasters had and that even with their so-called Chosen One, he fears the Jedi will forever be lost to who they once were. Yoda comments that perhaps the prophecy of the Chosen One was misunderstood.

* Anakin returns to Padme and vaguely tells her what he knows and asks her advice. She says that if there is something wrong of the scale he is talking about, he should tell the Jedi Council and Obi-Wan. Anakin then goes and does just that, though Obi-Wan has not returned from Utapau yet. Windu and the senior members of the Jedi Council go to Palpatine's office, where they find the body of Valorum and Palpatine himself sitting waiting. After Palpatine manipulates Windu into broadcasting their conversation over the holonet (with Palpatine of course playing the martyr), Palpatine unleashes his attack and kills all by Windu, who engages him in a furious duel. Meanwhile, Anakin is restless with Padme. Padme makes the comment that the needs of the many, meaning for the Republic, are always greater than the needs of the one, in this case either Palpatine or Anakin. Anakin, however, interprets this as meaning that Palpatine was right and he storms over to Palpatine's office, where he finds Windu ready to strike down Palpatine. Using his Force power, Anakin literally catches Windu's blade with his bare hand, giving Palpatine the opening to unleash his Force Lightning and fry Windu. Anakin immediately regrets his actions, but Palpatine reminds him that not only had the Jedi tried to kill him to prevent him from preserving the peace they had fought so long for, it was the Jedi's meddling that had caused the war to last as long as it had. He also tells Anakin that not using their powers to bring immediate and final peace and justice to the Galaxy would itself be irresponsible. Anakin agrees and acknowledges that he will never realize his full potential or bring about the lasting change he believes in as a Jedi, agreeing to begin his life anew as Palpatine's Sith Apprentice.

* Palpatine issues Order 66 while Anakin decimates the Jedi Temple with his personal legion of Storm Troopers, the 501st. As Jedi across the Galaxy, who are either returning to Coruscant to celebrate the end of the war or are on mop-up missions, are gunned down, Palpatine also orders the summary executions of the entire Confederacy Council. Palpatine, along with Anakin, then announce to the Senate that the Jedi murdered Chancellor Valorum and attempted to take over the government, as proven by the holonet transmission. Under the emergency powers given to him as Minister of Defense, Palpatine declares an immediate state of martial law and the reorganization of the government into an imperial one, to better root out the threat of the Jedi once and for all. While there are many who approve of this action, Padme and Bail Organa, along with quite a few other senators, leave in disgust.

* Obi-Wan, having survived his own encounter with Order 66, realizes that there are only a small handful of Jedi left. Using a long-forgotten code, he calls for all remaining Jedi to go to the Jedi safehouse on Mustafar.

* Meanwhile, Padme and Bail Organa leave Coruscant in protest of the new actions, but not before Anakin confronts her about her opposition to the government. She tells him that they are through and that he is no longer the man she loved. She also tells him that Obi-Wan was right about him all along, that his power and his anger made him far too dangerous. Anakin says that she has betrayed him to side with Obi-Wan and that if she leaves now, he can't protect her anymore. She and Bail leave anyway. No sooner does Bail Organa's ship break orbit than a small flotilla of Republic Star Destroyers close in on them. However, it is revealed that Owen Lars has led a mutiny against the clones following news of Palpatine's takeover and that their ship would escort them back to Alderaan.

* Obi-Wan and the few remaining Jedi Knights, having now seen the footage of Anakin's attack on the Jedi Temple, try to come up with a plan for how to proceed. Their planning is interrupted by the arrival of a flotilla of ships. Padme contacts Obi-Wan from aboard the largest ship and says that she could not, in good conscience, leave the Jedi to fend for themselves. They discuss Anakin's betrayal and the likelihood that a confrontation between the two men is inevitable. Obi-Wan tells her that if that happens, he doesn't think he can cross blades with his best friend.

* Palpatine contacts Anakin and tells him that the Imperial Intelligence has intercepted and deciphered a message instructing all Jedi to go to Mustafar. Palpatine then reveals imaging that clearly shows Padme going aboard and then leaving a rebel Star Destroyer captained by Anakin's old friend. Feeling utterly betrayed by everyone close to him, Anakin begins to despair, but Palpatine admonishes him to see this as his rebirth. Anakin Skywalker is no more. He must be reborn as Darth Vader.

* Anakin takes his flagship and several support ships to Mustafar, where he is confronted by Lars' flotilla. After an unsuccessful attempt by Owen to try and get him to see reason, Anakin takes to his personal fighter and enters the battle, whereupon he unleashes Force powers on a massive scale (think Force Unleashes level stuff). As rebellious RDF ground forces and several of the remaining Jedi begin to engage the Storm Troopers that are landing, Padme and Bail try to get Obi-Wan and as many of the other Jedi to board Padme's ship as possible to escape. Anakin arrives on the planet after shooting down (but not destroying) Owen and begins wreaking havoc on the assembled Jedi and RDF forces. As he cleaves through the last of the Jedi Council on his way toward Obi-Wan, Padme confronts him and begs him to stop and see what he is becoming. Anakin responds that this is her last chance to return home with him and enjoy the peace that they had worked so hard to secure. Padme responds that if the peace he wants looks like this (with Storm Troopers and TIE Fighters cutting down all opposition), then she wants no part of it or him. Anakin declares that she and Bail are traitors to the Imperial Senate along with the Jedi and that they are hereby under arrest and will stand trial.

* As he approaches her, Padme pulls a blaster on him and fires wildly, which he instinctively blocks with his lightsaber. Enraged, Anakin begins to Force-Choke her. Obi-Wan, who had been dealing with Storm Troopers, sees what is happening and Force-Pushes Anakin through a wall. Bail and Owen, along with R2, arrive on the scene and find a mortally wounded Padme in Obi-Wan's arms. Obi-Wan instructs the men to take Padme, who is going into labor, aboard the ship and prepare to leave. Anakin gets back on his feet and begins walking toward the group. Obi-Wan intercepts him and asks, as he did on Utapau, if this is the justice he believes in, to which Anakin replies that this is revenge for everything Obi-Wan has taken from him. Obi-Wan says that the Anakin he loved and who could have saved the Galaxy is truly dead. The fight begins.

* Meanwhile on Coruscant, Yoda again enters into Palpatine's presence, this time in the in-construction Imperial Throne Room. Yoda remarks that he had long believed that the truth of the prophecy was that the balance brought by the Chosen One to the Force was going to be one that saw the influence of the Jedi waning. He remarks that the only reason he had not acted against Palpatine up to that point was because he knew that, had he struck Palpatine down, some other evil would have taken his place and the end result would have been the same, if not worse. Palpatine replies that Yoda is the last vestige of a defeated ideology and that when he strikes him down, his victory over the Jedi and their useless spirituality will be gone forever. The two begin to fight, though not with lightsabers. Their battle is with the straight-up Force. Force Lightning. Force Storms. Force Shockwaves. Force Vortexes. Pretty much every non-physical Force offensive or defensive ability you can think of. After Palpatine overpowers him and nearly crushes him underneath the roof, Yoda stands and ignites his lightsaber. Palpatine does the same and the two again go at it with much more ferocity. Palpatine is able to disarm Yoda, but Yoda is able to drive him back with an exceptionally powerful Force Push. Palpatine then begins to draw on the Force Well beneath the former Jedi Temple, which Yoda realizes could collapse the planet if it is infused with too much Dark Side. Not willing to endanger a whole planet to ensure that Palpatine is defeated, Yoda retreats, knowing that his one chance to end the threat of the new Emperor has passed and that he will be forced to live with his failure for the rest of his life. He escapes aboard an Imperial shuttle and then a Star Destroyer using a series of illusions and mind tricks.

* Back on Mustafar, the battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin seems very one-sided. Obi-Wan is spending most of his time being scrappy and trying to stay just one step ahead of his former apprentice while Anakin is simply ripping apart whole portions of the installation (and the planet) in an attempt to kill his prey. The twins are born aboard Padme's ship, thanks in large part to C3PO and R2-D2's assistance to Bail and Owen. However, Padme finally dies of her injuries and the traumatic delivery. Owen says that they should leave immediately without Obi-Wan to save the twins, but Bail begs him to give the Jedi Master more time. Obi-Wan and Anakin continue to battle back and forth, with Obi-Wan scoring tactical blows where he can while barely staying ahead of Anakin's onslaught. The fight ranges all over the installation until Obi-Wan manages to gain the high ground. Obi-Wan tells Anakin that he is exhausted and that there is no way that he can continue the fight without risking death. Anakin charges ahead anyway and gets most of his limbs sliced off for his trouble. Obi-Wan debates finishing the crippled and slowly burning Anakin off, but still can't bring himself to kill his brother and best friend. He returns to the ship and he, along with Owen, Bail, the droids, and the twins, leave for Alderaan.

* Padme's funeral is held while Owen, Bail, and Obi-Wan try to figure out what to do next. They are joined by a worn-down Yoda, who reveals his own failure and that all he has left to him is his lifetime of experience to teach those who would fight the Emperor's evil. He also reveals that Anakin is still alive. Cut to Palpatine and the remaining members of the 501st taking the wounded Vader to a massive fortress on Vjun, where we once again get to see the birth of the Darth Vader we all know and love. Obi-Wan beats himself up over his part in Anakin's fall, but Yoda reminds him that as the Chosen One, Anakin was almost certainly always going to bring about the balance of the Force through the decimation of the Jedi and that had it not been for the people in his life who had inspired him to good, the end could have been much worse. Owen also points out that no matter what anyone else did to him or what part they may or may not have played in allowing Anakin to go as far as he did, every man is responsible for his own actions. The four then agree that the twins should be split up and hidden away, knowing that if the Emperor or Vader were to discover their existence he would not rest until they were under their control or destroyed. Bail takes Leia, reasoning that with his continued popularity and political clout with both the senate and the galactic populace at large, the Emperor would be loathe to act against him while he was still consolidating his power (though Owen does tell R2 to go with him to keep an eye on things). Owen takes Luke and decides to return with his wife to Tatooine. When Obi-Wan volunteers to go to ensure Luke is safe, Owen tells him that he is free to go wherever he wants, but that Obi-Wan is to stay away from Luke, reasoning that aside from the fact that if Vader knows where Obi-Wan is he will almost certainly come for him, that Luke and Leia both deserve a chance to live their lives without any damn fool crusades putting them in their father's shadow. Obi-Wan agrees, but says that if either of the children ever want to explore their Force potential, he would not hesitate to help them. Owen and Bail agree, provided it is the child's choice and that the truth about Anakin's fall and his identity be kept a secret. The four part ways.

* The movie ends with Yoda sitting alone on a stump on Dagobah looking up at the sky; The Emperor is overseeing the mobilization of a whole division of Storm Troopers while the Imperial Star Destroyers and TIE Fighters we all know and love fly overhead as Vader stands behind him, looking as wistful as is possible in the armor; Bail and his wife with a young (four or five year old) Leia standing in front of the flame marking Padme's grave and pointing to a distant star; and finally, Owen and Beru showing a same-aged Luke the stars outside their home on Tatooine, while far in the distance Obi-Wan watches all of them before himself looking to the stars.

The rest of the movies would largely remain the same, with some small tidbits here and there or tweaks to scenes to underscore the overall message.

Rain Partier

Flynn the Pirate wrote:Believe it or not, my best friend, my wife, and I were just talking about how we would redo the prequel trilogy (and the entire six movie saga as a whole) last week. A lot of it ended up being very similar to what the Belated Media guy was talking about, but there would also be some changes.

EPISODE I * One of the biggest changes is that Naboo is no longer Naboo; it's Alderaan. This does two things. First, it ties directly back to the original trilogy. Let's face it, after Episode I, no one cares about Naboo anymore and by Episode III, no one even mentions it. Alderaan, however, has an emotional resonance. You know how this history is going to play out. Also, it explains how the Trade Federation was able to militarily run rough-shod over them; because, as Leia pointed out in Episode IV, they have no military.

* Obi-Wan Kenobi is the central character, definitely. He's a little naive and has a tendency to become very passionate very quickly about causes and people, but he's still got a good head on his shoulders and is definitely someone you can see becoming the old sage down the road.

* Padme is no longer the queen, but the junior senator under Bail Organa, who is also her mentor. This allows you to introduce Bail early on as an important character but also another character: C-3PO. A gold-plated protocol droid? That just screams something something that an important senator, who also has ties back to a planetary dynasty, would have.

* Make Anakin older, as the video said, but also play up that he has some peculiarities. Things like unexplainable luck or a natural affinity for things that he has never done before or an unusually high level of empathy. Things that a being with no training but that was literally birthed by the Force (yes, keep that whole thing but lose the midichlorians) would be able to do. In fact, a lot of what the video recommended regarding Anakin's introduction, I would keep. But there's one thing I would add. I would establish, vaguely at first but then explicitly during the podrace (which Anakin has never done), that Anakin has some anger issues. Understandable anger, anger at the injustice of his position as a slave and at the situation surrounding him as a whole, but anger none the less. This would manifest itself during the podrace when Sebulba cheats to get ahead of him and, without really meaning to do so, he uses the Force to cause Sebulba to crash. Anakin is freed and Qui-Gon has his proof that there is something special about this kid.

* As an aside, I would actually go out of my way to make sure that the Tatooine is a bustling planet. This will be important later.

* Mace Windu, and not Yoda, who is semi-retired, is the head of the Jedi Council. When Qui-Gon presents both Obi-Wan for full knighthood and Anakin as a candidate for being a trainee (and strongly, if not explicitly stating his belief that he is The Chosen One), Windu agrees to the first and vehemently disagrees with the latter. His reason is two-fold: first, that he is too old to begin the training; and second, and more importantly, he senses the anger bubbling just below the surface. However, between Qui-Gon's arguments that he can help Anakin direct that anger toward justice and the rest of the Council's near-religious hub-bub about finally having their Chosen One, Windu relents but has serious reservations.

* Palpatine is not a senator, but rather the Minister of Defense. The Republic has a military, but more along the lines of a peace keeping/defense force. Think the Japanese military, but on a galactic scale. This allows him to work closely with the Jedi, who are the "Guardians of the Republic" and who is pushing them, from behind the scenes, to deal with the Trade Federation/Alderaan issue on the grounds that the T.F. has overstepped its bounds as an economic block and is threatening the stability of the Galaxy. However, there are many senators who disagree with this, seeing the Trade Federation and their refusing to stand down from what they perceive as an acceptable reaction to whatever trade dispute they had with Alderaan to cause the blockade as the big bureaucratic Republic trying to supress an extra-political organization into playing the way they think it should. This lays the ground for the Separatist movement later on.

* Obi-Wan, now a full-fledged Jedi Knight, Qui-Gon, Anakin (who Qui-Gon brings along because he wants to personally see to his training as opposed to handing him off to Windu), and Padme return to Alderaan leading a totally-unofficial-but-really-officially-sanctioned Republic task force to try breaking the blockade and neutralizing the Federation leadership on Alderaan in one fell swoop. The whole Obi-Wan-Padme implied romance could really work. Heck, I agree with the video that you can even keep the Gungans or, heck, if you really wanted to blow some minds and connect it even more to the Expanded Universe, make the Gungans into the Killik. Anyway, the Alderaanians/Republic forces and the Gungans/Killik strike a deal to get the Trade Federation off of Alderaan.

* At this point, I would have Anakin meet another young (though a few years older) Tatooinian who has joined up with the Republic Defense Forces as a pilot: Lars Owen, and his astromech droid R2-D2. The two of them would form a friendship that would exist throughout the next two films and make his death in Episode IV mean more.

* The Battle for Alderaan would be a large set-piece, with the Gungans/Killik, along with Owen, Anakin (who has never flown a fighter before but once again has an intuitive proficiency at it), and a few other pilots mounting a frontal attack while Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon lead a strike team into the heart of the Federation leadership on Alderaan. Darth Maul shows up. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan do battle with him while Padme and the Republic strike force try to break through the Viceroy. Padme gets wounded, Obi-Wan breaks away from his fight long enough to try to save her, and Qui-Gon gets scewered. Obi-Wan jumps back and eviscerates Maul. Just as in the original, Qui-Gon's dying request is for Obi-Wan to train Anakin, which Obi-Wan agrees to do. He also explicitly makes clear that he now knows that his passion, however rightly placed, is his path to the Dark Side, which is why by Episode IV, he's all-but-stoic about things.

* The movie would end with Palpatine, in full Darth Sidious garb, overseeing the rebuilding of Darth Maul, with everything proceeding just as he had foreseen.

EPISODE II * It has been eight years since the end of Episode I. The Senate is almost half-empty as, in the aftermath of the Battle for Alderaan and the increasingly-strong arm tactics of the Valorum chancellory. Obi-Wan and Anakin are quite the duo now, with Lars Owen being their go-to contact with the Republic Defense Force. Mace Windu is still distrusting of Anakin, who he sees as reckless and arrogant with his immense Force powers, as well as still barely keeping a reign on his anger at what he perceives as injustice. Bail Organa and Padme are still the senators for Alderaan, though Padme has grown to become a very popular figure who smart money places as one day holding a ministerial position or maybe even the Chancellorship (at the risk of being too political, think Obama's perceived role during his time in the Senate but before his announcement of a presidential run). You can also intimate that during the eight years since the end of Episode I, Padme and Anakin have grown closer and have feelings for each other, though neither will admit it.

* There is some sort of overt attack by the the newly-formed Confederacy of Independent Systems using their droid forces, in conjunction with an assassination attempt on Padme and Organa by a strike team of Mandalorians (led by Jango Fett). Obi-Wan and Anakin are the first to arrive on the scene and battle the Mandalorians throughout parts of Coruscant. At one point, the two Jedi are seperated and Anakin gets pinned down by three of the assassins. With no other foreseeable alternative, Anakin Force-chokes one of the Mandalorians and uses the Force to boomerang his misplaced lightsaber through the other two just as Obi-Wan arrives. The overt use of the force as a weapon, combined with the sheer violence of the affair, causes Obi-Wan to become concerned for his apprentice. Anakin is bothered for a moment, but justifies it to himself and gets over it quickly.

* The twin attacks cause Minister Palpatine to put the entire RDF on high alert and the Jedi Council, in conjunctions with the Senate, to send a special envoy to the seat of the CIS on Raxus to try and stave off further violence. They are joined by the venerated Master Yoda, who has been in semi-retirement and meditation on Dagobah after feeling the rise in power of the Dark Side but has returned to unmask the truth behind the Separatist Movement and the growing Darkness. While Yoda's presence is jarring and while it almost forces a cessation of hostilities, Darth Maul and a contingent of Mandalorians arrive and attack the Republic mission. Yoda thoroughly trounces Maul without drawing his lightsaber, but Maul escapes while the Mandalorians kill several Jedi and Senators.

* In light of the attack on Raxus, Minister Palpatine addresses the Senate and announces that the threat of the CIS is far too great to rely solely on the RDF or even the vaunted Jedi to handle on their own. To that end, with his powers as Minister of Defense and with the blessing of Chancellor Valorum, Palpatine has commissioned a clone army to be used against the CIS, pending full support of the Senate. The Senate seems divided, but narrowly agrees to the measure, giving Palpatine full go-ahead to build not only an army, but a navy as well using his clones (who in this version are not simply clones of the same dude, but look far more factory made and non-descript... a very THX look, completely with barcodes and hairless bodies).

* Meanwhile, Anakin and Obi-Wan have taken Padme back to Alderaan to recover from the assassination attempt. Obi-Wan is uneasy, both for being in a place that reminds him of his failure years earlier and because of Anakin's growing rebelliousness to the Jedi Code, as well as the increasingly obvious fact that he and Padme are in love and barely attempting to keep it a secret anymore. Anakin, for his part, is feeling suffocated by Kenobi and Windu's constant lectures about control and proper use of the Force and confides in Padme that he thinks that the Jedi should simply march into Raxus and force the Separatists back into line at the point of a lightsaber blade. Padme demurs, but admonishes him to remember what is important and not to compromise his honor for a quick fix.

* The Clones win several decisive victories against the CIS, including an orbital bombardment (read, glassing) of a Separatist world. In response, Mace Windu recalls Obi-Wan to Coruscant, though he allows Anakin to stay on Alderaan (again, because he does not trust him and wants him out of the way for his plans). Windu and the Jedi Council, with Kenobi and several other Jedi Knights, tell Palpatine that the clones' wanton use of firepower is a danger to whatever moral high ground the Republic is seeking to maintain, as well as risking pushing the CIS into further rebellion. To whit, the Jedi should be put in charge of the clone Storm Trooper forces, along with RDF officers (i.e. Lars Owen). While Palpatine agrees to this, it has the immediate effect of turning many in the Senate and the populace at large against the Jedi, who see them as a deterring force to a quick end to the war.

* A major offensive is launched against the planet Geonosis, where the CIS has a large armory and shipyard. Anakin, appraised of the situation by Obi-Wan, leaves Padme on Alderaan (with a promise to return to her regardless of what Obi-Wan or the Council think) and joins up with the Republic forces. Again, the Battle of Geonosis would be a large set-piece. Once on the ground, Anakin and Obi-Wan lead their clone troops, but are separated when Darth Maul again attacks with a whole mess of Mandalorians. Obi-Wan goes after Maul to settle their feud, while Anakin tries to hold the line with his troopers against both the Mandalorians and the droid army. As he watches innocent Geonosians get caught in the crossfire between the two armies, Anakin loses it, grabs a second lightsaber, and goes wild. During his free-for-all, he is now openly using Force-choke, excessively-violent Force pushes, and even uses the Force to literally tear Jango Fett limb from limb.

* Anakin once again finds Obi-Wan, who is still fighting Maul and winning, and jumps into the fight. However, Maul is able to neutralize Obi-Wan and provoke Anakin further with taunts of how he killed the first person who had any faith in Anakin. Anakin again loses his cool and gets an arm and leg taken off by Maul, who while far less powerful than Anakin in the Force is far more experienced in a battle of Dark Side powers. Maul again escapes and Obi-Wan admonishes Anakin for letting his emotions get the better of him, which Anakin responds that if Obi-Wan hadn't been holding back, Maul would be dead now.

* The movie ends with Yoda arriving on Coruscant and sitting in on a meeting between Palpatine and Windu. After a few words with Mace, Yoda turns to Palpatine and makes it very clear that he knows that Palpatine is playing a game and that when the time comes, he will step in to deal with it once and for all. Palpatine, who uses the Force to make his shadow seem larger and breaks into his Emperor voice, replies that when that time comes, what makes Yoda so sure that he can deal with him. Yoda forces back some of Palpatine's shadow and walks away without another word. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan is watching a big screen (think Times Square size screen) replay of Anakin's actions on Geonosis, with cheers and adulation being heaped on his apprentice. Windu arrives and the two of them discuss the way that the war is shaping up and how public sentiment is turning away from the Jedi in a way that it has never done so before. Windu also mentions that the Council, despite his objections, has voted to make Anakin a full-fledged Jedi Knight in light of his bravery and skills at Geonosis. Windu straight out asks Obi-Wan if Anakin is going to be a problem, to which Obi-Wan replies that he will not be. Meanwhile, Lars Owen lands a transport on Alderaan and Anakin, now with a robotic leg and arm, limps off of the ship and into the waiting arms of Padme.

EPISODE III * Three years pass since the end of Episode II. The war is dragging and the Republic government and populace blame the Jedi for holding back the clones. The only Jedi that has any sort of public sentiment behind him is Anakin Skywalker, who has become a superstar general (he's freakin' Captain America with a lightsaber). Bail Organa has retired from his position as Senior Senator to become an aide and counselor to Padme, who now holds that position. Padme and Anakin are barely concealing their relationship (as in, everyone including the Jedi Council are all but sure that it is happening but don't say anything), including the fact that Padme is visibly pregnant. The CIS, with Darth Maul acting as general, launch a surprise attack on Coruscant and the Senate Chamber itself as Chancellor Valorum to make an announcement regarding a peace summit. Anakin and Obi-Wan lead several Jedi and a battalion of Storm Troopers into a pitched battle inside the Senate itself while Captain Lars Owen coordinates his fighter squadron with Kenobi and Skywalker. Once again, Anakin unabashedly uses excessive force in dealing with the droids and the Mandalorians while Obi-Wan confronts Maul. The two have a straight up duel, which Obi-Wan is able to take the advantage in. Maul, in seeming desperation, grabs Valorum and dares Obi-Wan to risk hurting him. As they stand in stalemate, Anakin appears behind Maul and lops off Maul's head.

* After the battle, Palpatine reveals to the Jedi and the Senior Senators that intelligence has determined that, after the loss of Raxus and Dac over the course of the war, the Confederate Council has made a final redoubt on Utapau. In recognition for his heroism and leadership, Palpatine appoints Anakin as military executor of the Clone Forces and as his personal liason to the Jedi Council. Windu, who of course has come to be more and more wary of Skywalker because of his actions during the war, reacts badly (giving that whole thing about admitting Anakin to the council but not giving him the rank of master a lot more personal animosity behind it). Obi-Wan tries to console his former apprentice and best friend by saying that once he and several other sympathetic members of the council have a chance to speak with Windu, that everything will be put to right. He also cautions Anakin about his new role and says that while it is a great opportunity, Anakin should not let his passion for righting every wrong in the galaxy outweigh the oath he took as a Jedi Knight. Later Anakin complains to Padme about the entire situation and that Obi-Wan has become more and more condescending, while he should be following Anakin's lead. Padme cautions that he and Palpatine have gained a great deal of power over the last few years and that with his new promotion, many in the Senate are concerned with what will happen regarding the military after the war is over. Anakin accuses her of siding with Obi-Wan and storms out.

* The Battle of Utapau is launched and Anakin and Obi-Wan, along with a handful of other Jedi and several divisions of Storm Troopers, lay waste to the last of the droid and Mandalorian forces protecting the Separatist leadership. Upon the capture of the council, Anakin calls for their immediate summary executions, but Obi-Wan and Windu step between Anakin and the captives. Obi-Wan asks Anakin if what he is calling for the justice he believes in. Anakin agrees to have them stand trial, but that after that trial they will die for their crimes.

* Anakin returns to Coruscant a hero. He speaks with Palpatine and reports on the actions of the Jedi Council at Utapau. Palpatine remarks that sometimes for the good of the many, a single person must make a decision, no matter how unpopular that decision is. He then begins spouting, in a roundabout way, Sith political philosophy until finally revealing to Anakin that he was Darth Maul's master and a full fledged Lord of the Sith. Anakin realizes that everything that has happened over the last decade has been Palpatine's maneuvering, to which Palpatine replies that finally all of the dissension and disatisfaction in the Republic has been rooted out and that a true peace has been enforced across the Galaxy. Anakin leaves. A short time later, Palpatine, in full Emperor garb, enters into Valorum's office and kills the old man with his lightsaber.

* Meanwhile, Yoda returns and tells Windu that events are spinning out of hand and that the Dark Side has taken such a deep root in the heart of the Republic that he doubts if it will ever be exorcised. Windu bemoans that he has not been able to save the Republic as past grandmasters had and that even with their so-called Chosen One, he fears the Jedi will forever be lost to who they once were. Yoda comments that perhaps the prophecy of the Chosen One was misunderstood.

* Anakin returns to Padme and vaguely tells her what he knows and asks her advice. She says that if there is something wrong of the scale he is talking about, he should tell the Jedi Council and Obi-Wan. Anakin then goes and does just that, though Obi-Wan has not returned from Utapau yet. Windu and the senior members of the Jedi Council go to Palpatine's office, where they find the body of Valorum and Palpatine himself sitting waiting. After Palpatine manipulates Windu into broadcasting their conversation over the holonet (with Palpatine of course playing the martyr), Palpatine unleashes his attack and kills all by Windu, who engages him in a furious duel. Meanwhile, Anakin is restless with Padme. Padme makes the comment that the needs of the many, meaning for the Republic, are always greater than the needs of the one, in this case either Palpatine or Anakin. Anakin, however, interprets this as meaning that Palpatine was right and he storms over to Palpatine's office, where he finds Windu ready to strike down Palpatine. Using his Force power, Anakin literally catches Windu's blade with his bare hand, giving Palpatine the opening to unleash his Force Lightning and fry Windu. Anakin immediately regrets his actions, but Palpatine reminds him that not only had the Jedi tried to kill him to prevent him from preserving the peace they had fought so long for, it was the Jedi's meddling that had caused the war to last as long as it had. He also tells Anakin that not using their powers to bring immediate and final peace and justice to the Galaxy would itself be irresponsible. Anakin agrees and acknowledges that he will never realize his full potential or bring about the lasting change he believes in as a Jedi, agreeing to begin his life anew as Palpatine's Sith Apprentice.

* Palpatine issues Order 66 while Anakin decimates the Jedi Temple with his personal legion of Storm Troopers, the 501st. As Jedi across the Galaxy, who are either returning to Coruscant to celebrate the end of the war or are on mop-up missions, are gunned down, Palpatine also orders the summary executions of the entire Confederacy Council. Palpatine, along with Anakin, then announce to the Senate that the Jedi murdered Chancellor Valorum and attempted to take over the government, as proven by the holonet transmission. Under the emergency powers given to him as Minister of Defense, Palpatine declares an immediate state of martial law and the reorganization of the government into an imperial one, to better root out the threat of the Jedi once and for all. While there are many who approve of this action, Padme and Bail Organa, along with quite a few other senators, leave in disgust.

* Obi-Wan, having survived his own encounter with Order 66, realizes that there are only a small handful of Jedi left. Using a long-forgotten code, he calls for all remaining Jedi to go to the Jedi safehouse on Mustafar.

* Meanwhile, Padme and Bail Organa leave Coruscant in protest of the new actions, but not before Anakin confronts her about her opposition to the government. She tells him that they are through and that he is no longer the man she loved. She also tells him that Obi-Wan was right about him all along, that his power and his anger made him far too dangerous. Anakin says that she has betrayed him to side with Obi-Wan and that if she leaves now, he can't protect her anymore. She and Bail leave anyway. No sooner does Bail Organa's ship break orbit than a small flotilla of Republic Star Destroyers close in on them. However, it is revealed that Owen Lars has led a mutiny against the clones following news of Palpatine's takeover and that their ship would escort them back to Alderaan.

* Obi-Wan and the few remaining Jedi Knights, having now seen the footage of Anakin's attack on the Jedi Temple, try to come up with a plan for how to proceed. Their planning is interrupted by the arrival of a flotilla of ships. Padme contacts Obi-Wan from aboard the largest ship and says that she could not, in good conscience, leave the Jedi to fend for themselves. They discuss Anakin's betrayal and the likelihood that a confrontation between the two men is inevitable. Obi-Wan tells her that if that happens, he doesn't think he can cross blades with his best friend.

* Palpatine contacts Anakin and tells him that the Imperial Intelligence has intercepted and deciphered a message instructing all Jedi to go to Mustafar. Palpatine then reveals imaging that clearly shows Padme going aboard and then leaving a rebel Star Destroyer captained by Anakin's old friend. Feeling utterly betrayed by everyone close to him, Anakin begins to despair, but Palpatine admonishes him to see this as his rebirth. Anakin Skywalker is no more. He must be reborn as Darth Vader.

* Anakin takes his flagship and several support ships to Mustafar, where he is confronted by Lars' flotilla. After an unsuccessful attempt by Owen to try and get him to see reason, Anakin takes to his personal fighter and enters the battle, whereupon he unleashes Force powers on a massive scale (think Force Unleashes level stuff). As rebellious RDF ground forces and several of the remaining Jedi begin to engage the Storm Troopers that are landing, Padme and Bail try to get Obi-Wan and as many of the other Jedi to board Padme's ship as possible to escape. Anakin arrives on the planet after shooting down (but not destroying) Owen and begins wreaking havoc on the assembled Jedi and RDF forces. As he cleaves through the last of the Jedi Council on his way toward Obi-Wan, Padme confronts him and begs him to stop and see what he is becoming. Anakin responds that this is her last chance to return home with him and enjoy the peace that they had worked so hard to secure. Padme responds that if the peace he wants looks like this (with Storm Troopers and TIE Fighters cutting down all opposition), then she wants no part of it or him. Anakin declares that she and Bail are traitors to the Imperial Senate along with the Jedi and that they are hereby under arrest and will stand trial.

* As he approaches her, Padme pulls a blaster on him and fires wildly, which he instinctively blocks with his lightsaber. Enraged, Anakin begins to Force-Choke her. Obi-Wan, who had been dealing with Storm Troopers, sees what is happening and Force-Pushes Anakin through a wall. Bail and Owen, along with R2, arrive on the scene and find a mortally wounded Padme in Obi-Wan's arms. Obi-Wan instructs the men to take Padme, who is going into labor, aboard the ship and prepare to leave. Anakin gets back on his feet and begins walking toward the group. Obi-Wan intercepts him and asks, as he did on Utapau, if this is the justice he believes in, to which Anakin replies that this is revenge for everything Obi-Wan has taken from him. Obi-Wan says that the Anakin he loved and who could have saved the Galaxy is truly dead. The fight begins.

* Meanwhile on Coruscant, Yoda again enters into Palpatine's presence, this time in the in-construction Imperial Throne Room. Yoda remarks that he had long believed that the truth of the prophecy was that the balance brought by the Chosen One to the Force was going to be one that saw the influence of the Jedi waning. He remarks that the only reason he had not acted against Palpatine up to that point was because he knew that, had he struck Palpatine down, some other evil would have taken his place and the end result would have been the same, if not worse. Palpatine replies that Yoda is the last vestige of a defeated ideology and that when he strikes him down, his victory over the Jedi and their useless spirituality will be gone forever. The two begin to fight, though not with lightsabers. Their battle is with the straight-up Force. Force Lightning. Force Storms. Force Shockwaves. Force Vortexes. Pretty much every non-physical Force offensive or defensive ability you can think of. After Palpatine overpowers him and nearly crushes him underneath the roof, Yoda stands and ignites his lightsaber. Palpatine does the same and the two again go at it with much more ferocity. Palpatine is able to disarm Yoda, but Yoda is able to drive him back with an exceptionally powerful Force Push. Palpatine then begins to draw on the Force Well beneath the former Jedi Temple, which Yoda realizes could collapse the planet if it is infused with too much Dark Side. Not willing to endanger a whole planet to ensure that Palpatine is defeated, Yoda retreats, knowing that his one chance to end the threat of the new Emperor has passed and that he will be forced to live with his failure for the rest of his life. He escapes aboard an Imperial shuttle and then a Star Destroyer using a series of illusions and mind tricks.

* Back on Mustafar, the battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin seems very one-sided. Obi-Wan is spending most of his time being scrappy and trying to stay just one step ahead of his former apprentice while Anakin is simply ripping apart whole portions of the installation (and the planet) in an attempt to kill his prey. The twins are born aboard Padme's ship, thanks in large part to C3PO and R2-D2's assistance to Bail and Owen. However, Padme finally dies of her injuries and the traumatic delivery. Owen says that they should leave immediately without Obi-Wan to save the twins, but Bail begs him to give the Jedi Master more time. Obi-Wan and Anakin continue to battle back and forth, with Obi-Wan scoring tactical blows where he can while barely staying ahead of Anakin's onslaught. The fight ranges all over the installation until Obi-Wan manages to gain the high ground. Obi-Wan tells Anakin that he is exhausted and that there is no way that he can continue the fight without risking death. Anakin charges ahead anyway and gets most of his limbs sliced off for his trouble. Obi-Wan debates finishing the crippled and slowly burning Anakin off, but still can't bring himself to kill his brother and best friend. He returns to the ship and he, along with Owen, Bail, the droids, and the twins, leave for Alderaan.

* Padme's funeral is held while Owen, Bail, and Obi-Wan try to figure out what to do next. They are joined by a worn-down Yoda, who reveals his own failure and that all he has left to him is his lifetime of experience to teach those who would fight the Emperor's evil. He also reveals that Anakin is still alive. Cut to Palpatine and the remaining members of the 501st taking the wounded Vader to a massive fortress on Vjun, where we once again get to see the birth of the Darth Vader we all know and love. Obi-Wan beats himself up over his part in Anakin's fall, but Yoda reminds him that as the Chosen One, Anakin was almost certainly always going to bring about the balance of the Force through the decimation of the Jedi and that had it not been for the people in his life who had inspired him to good, the end could have been much worse. Owen also points out that no matter what anyone else did to him or what part they may or may not have played in allowing Anakin to go as far as he did, every man is responsible for his own actions. The four then agree that the twins should be split up and hidden away, knowing that if the Emperor or Vader were to discover their existence he would not rest until they were under their control or destroyed. Bail takes Leia, reasoning that with his continued popularity and political clout with both the senate and the galactic populace at large, the Emperor would be loathe to act against him while he was still consolidating his power (though Owen does tell R2 to go with him to keep an eye on things). Owen takes Luke and decides to return with his wife to Tatooine. When Obi-Wan volunteers to go to ensure Luke is safe, Owen tells him that he is free to go wherever he wants, but that Obi-Wan is to stay away from Luke, reasoning that aside from the fact that if Vader knows where Obi-Wan is he will almost certainly come for him, that Luke and Leia both deserve a chance to live their lives without any damn fool crusades putting them in their father's shadow. Obi-Wan agrees, but says that if either of the children ever want to explore their Force potential, he would not hesitate to help them. Owen and Bail agree, provided it is the child's choice and that the truth about Anakin's fall and his identity be kept a secret. The four part ways.

* The movie ends with Yoda sitting alone on a stump on Dagobah looking up at the sky; The Emperor is overseeing the mobilization of a whole division of Storm Troopers while the Imperial Star Destroyers and TIE Fighters we all know and love fly overhead as Vader stands behind him, looking as wistful as is possible in the armor; Bail and his wife with a young (four or five year old) Leia standing in front of the flame marking Padme's grave and pointing to a distant star; and finally, Owen and Beru showing a same-aged Luke the stars outside their home on Tatooine, while far in the distance Obi-Wan watches all of them before himself looking to the stars.

The rest of the movies would largely remain the same, with some small tidbits here and there or tweaks to scenes to underscore the overall message.

It sounds like you and those guys have some more thoughts in common, too..

Of course, I like how you made Padme a sentor's aide vs. how they made Padme & Bail siblings...

Rain Partier

Flynn the Pirate wrote:Believe it or not, my best friend, my wife, and I were just talking about how we would redo the prequel trilogy (and the entire six movie saga as a whole) last week. A lot of it ended up being very similar to what the Belated Media guy was talking about, but there would also be some changes.

EPISODE I * One of the biggest changes is that Naboo is no longer Naboo; it's Alderaan. This does two things. First, it ties directly back to the original trilogy. Let's face it, after Episode I, no one cares about Naboo anymore and by Episode III, no one even mentions it. Alderaan, however, has an emotional resonance. You know how this history is going to play out. Also, it explains how the Trade Federation was able to militarily run rough-shod over them; because, as Leia pointed out in Episode IV, they have no military.

* Obi-Wan Kenobi is the central character, definitely. He's a little naive and has a tendency to become very passionate very quickly about causes and people, but he's still got a good head on his shoulders and is definitely someone you can see becoming the old sage down the road.

* Padme is no longer the queen, but the junior senator under Bail Organa, who is also her mentor. This allows you to introduce Bail early on as an important character but also another character: C-3PO. A gold-plated protocol droid? That just screams something something that an important senator, who also has ties back to a planetary dynasty, would have.

* Make Anakin older, as the video said, but also play up that he has some peculiarities. Things like unexplainable luck or a natural affinity for things that he has never done before or an unusually high level of empathy. Things that a being with no training but that was literally birthed by the Force (yes, keep that whole thing but lose the midichlorians) would be able to do. In fact, a lot of what the video recommended regarding Anakin's introduction, I would keep. But there's one thing I would add. I would establish, vaguely at first but then explicitly during the podrace (which Anakin has never done), that Anakin has some anger issues. Understandable anger, anger at the injustice of his position as a slave and at the situation surrounding him as a whole, but anger none the less. This would manifest itself during the podrace when Sebulba cheats to get ahead of him and, without really meaning to do so, he uses the Force to cause Sebulba to crash. Anakin is freed and Qui-Gon has his proof that there is something special about this kid.

* As an aside, I would actually go out of my way to make sure that the Tatooine is a bustling planet. This will be important later.

* Mace Windu, and not Yoda, who is semi-retired, is the head of the Jedi Council. When Qui-Gon presents both Obi-Wan for full knighthood and Anakin as a candidate for being a trainee (and strongly, if not explicitly stating his belief that he is The Chosen One), Windu agrees to the first and vehemently disagrees with the latter. His reason is two-fold: first, that he is too old to begin the training; and second, and more importantly, he senses the anger bubbling just below the surface. However, between Qui-Gon's arguments that he can help Anakin direct that anger toward justice and the rest of the Council's near-religious hub-bub about finally having their Chosen One, Windu relents but has serious reservations.

* Palpatine is not a senator, but rather the Minister of Defense. The Republic has a military, but more along the lines of a peace keeping/defense force. Think the Japanese military, but on a galactic scale. This allows him to work closely with the Jedi, who are the "Guardians of the Republic" and who is pushing them, from behind the scenes, to deal with the Trade Federation/Alderaan issue on the grounds that the T.F. has overstepped its bounds as an economic block and is threatening the stability of the Galaxy. However, there are many senators who disagree with this, seeing the Trade Federation and their refusing to stand down from what they perceive as an acceptable reaction to whatever trade dispute they had with Alderaan to cause the blockade as the big bureaucratic Republic trying to supress an extra-political organization into playing the way they think it should. This lays the ground for the Separatist movement later on.

* Obi-Wan, now a full-fledged Jedi Knight, Qui-Gon, Anakin (who Qui-Gon brings along because he wants to personally see to his training as opposed to handing him off to Windu), and Padme return to Alderaan leading a totally-unofficial-but-really-officially-sanctioned Republic task force to try breaking the blockade and neutralizing the Federation leadership on Alderaan in one fell swoop. The whole Obi-Wan-Padme implied romance could really work. Heck, I agree with the video that you can even keep the Gungans or, heck, if you really wanted to blow some minds and connect it even more to the Expanded Universe, make the Gungans into the Killik. Anyway, the Alderaanians/Republic forces and the Gungans/Killik strike a deal to get the Trade Federation off of Alderaan.

* At this point, I would have Anakin meet another young (though a few years older) Tatooinian who has joined up with the Republic Defense Forces as a pilot: Lars Owen, and his astromech droid R2-D2. The two of them would form a friendship that would exist throughout the next two films and make his death in Episode IV mean more.

* The Battle for Alderaan would be a large set-piece, with the Gungans/Killik, along with Owen, Anakin (who has never flown a fighter before but once again has an intuitive proficiency at it), and a few other pilots mounting a frontal attack while Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon lead a strike team into the heart of the Federation leadership on Alderaan. Darth Maul shows up. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan do battle with him while Padme and the Republic strike force try to break through the Viceroy. Padme gets wounded, Obi-Wan breaks away from his fight long enough to try to save her, and Qui-Gon gets scewered. Obi-Wan jumps back and eviscerates Maul. Just as in the original, Qui-Gon's dying request is for Obi-Wan to train Anakin, which Obi-Wan agrees to do. He also explicitly makes clear that he now knows that his passion, however rightly placed, is his path to the Dark Side, which is why by Episode IV, he's all-but-stoic about things.

* The movie would end with Palpatine, in full Darth Sidious garb, overseeing the rebuilding of Darth Maul, with everything proceeding just as he had foreseen.

EPISODE II * It has been eight years since the end of Episode I. The Senate is almost half-empty as, in the aftermath of the Battle for Alderaan and the increasingly-strong arm tactics of the Valorum chancellory. Obi-Wan and Anakin are quite the duo now, with Lars Owen being their go-to contact with the Republic Defense Force. Mace Windu is still distrusting of Anakin, who he sees as reckless and arrogant with his immense Force powers, as well as still barely keeping a reign on his anger at what he perceives as injustice. Bail Organa and Padme are still the senators for Alderaan, though Padme has grown to become a very popular figure who smart money places as one day holding a ministerial position or maybe even the Chancellorship (at the risk of being too political, think Obama's perceived role during his time in the Senate but before his announcement of a presidential run). You can also intimate that during the eight years since the end of Episode I, Padme and Anakin have grown closer and have feelings for each other, though neither will admit it.

* There is some sort of overt attack by the the newly-formed Confederacy of Independent Systems using their droid forces, in conjunction with an assassination attempt on Padme and Organa by a strike team of Mandalorians (led by Jango Fett). Obi-Wan and Anakin are the first to arrive on the scene and battle the Mandalorians throughout parts of Coruscant. At one point, the two Jedi are seperated and Anakin gets pinned down by three of the assassins. With no other foreseeable alternative, Anakin Force-chokes one of the Mandalorians and uses the Force to boomerang his misplaced lightsaber through the other two just as Obi-Wan arrives. The overt use of the force as a weapon, combined with the sheer violence of the affair, causes Obi-Wan to become concerned for his apprentice. Anakin is bothered for a moment, but justifies it to himself and gets over it quickly.

* The twin attacks cause Minister Palpatine to put the entire RDF on high alert and the Jedi Council, in conjunctions with the Senate, to send a special envoy to the seat of the CIS on Raxus to try and stave off further violence. They are joined by the venerated Master Yoda, who has been in semi-retirement and meditation on Dagobah after feeling the rise in power of the Dark Side but has returned to unmask the truth behind the Separatist Movement and the growing Darkness. While Yoda's presence is jarring and while it almost forces a cessation of hostilities, Darth Maul and a contingent of Mandalorians arrive and attack the Republic mission. Yoda thoroughly trounces Maul without drawing his lightsaber, but Maul escapes while the Mandalorians kill several Jedi and Senators.

* In light of the attack on Raxus, Minister Palpatine addresses the Senate and announces that the threat of the CIS is far too great to rely solely on the RDF or even the vaunted Jedi to handle on their own. To that end, with his powers as Minister of Defense and with the blessing of Chancellor Valorum, Palpatine has commissioned a clone army to be used against the CIS, pending full support of the Senate. The Senate seems divided, but narrowly agrees to the measure, giving Palpatine full go-ahead to build not only an army, but a navy as well using his clones (who in this version are not simply clones of the same dude, but look far more factory made and non-descript... a very THX look, completely with barcodes and hairless bodies).

* Meanwhile, Anakin and Obi-Wan have taken Padme back to Alderaan to recover from the assassination attempt. Obi-Wan is uneasy, both for being in a place that reminds him of his failure years earlier and because of Anakin's growing rebelliousness to the Jedi Code, as well as the increasingly obvious fact that he and Padme are in love and barely attempting to keep it a secret anymore. Anakin, for his part, is feeling suffocated by Kenobi and Windu's constant lectures about control and proper use of the Force and confides in Padme that he thinks that the Jedi should simply march into Raxus and force the Separatists back into line at the point of a lightsaber blade. Padme demurs, but admonishes him to remember what is important and not to compromise his honor for a quick fix.

* The Clones win several decisive victories against the CIS, including an orbital bombardment (read, glassing) of a Separatist world. In response, Mace Windu recalls Obi-Wan to Coruscant, though he allows Anakin to stay on Alderaan (again, because he does not trust him and wants him out of the way for his plans). Windu and the Jedi Council, with Kenobi and several other Jedi Knights, tell Palpatine that the clones' wanton use of firepower is a danger to whatever moral high ground the Republic is seeking to maintain, as well as risking pushing the CIS into further rebellion. To whit, the Jedi should be put in charge of the clone Storm Trooper forces, along with RDF officers (i.e. Lars Owen). While Palpatine agrees to this, it has the immediate effect of turning many in the Senate and the populace at large against the Jedi, who see them as a deterring force to a quick end to the war.

* A major offensive is launched against the planet Geonosis, where the CIS has a large armory and shipyard. Anakin, appraised of the situation by Obi-Wan, leaves Padme on Alderaan (with a promise to return to her regardless of what Obi-Wan or the Council think) and joins up with the Republic forces. Again, the Battle of Geonosis would be a large set-piece. Once on the ground, Anakin and Obi-Wan lead their clone troops, but are separated when Darth Maul again attacks with a whole mess of Mandalorians. Obi-Wan goes after Maul to settle their feud, while Anakin tries to hold the line with his troopers against both the Mandalorians and the droid army. As he watches innocent Geonosians get caught in the crossfire between the two armies, Anakin loses it, grabs a second lightsaber, and goes wild. During his free-for-all, he is now openly using Force-choke, excessively-violent Force pushes, and even uses the Force to literally tear Jango Fett limb from limb.

* Anakin once again finds Obi-Wan, who is still fighting Maul and winning, and jumps into the fight. However, Maul is able to neutralize Obi-Wan and provoke Anakin further with taunts of how he killed the first person who had any faith in Anakin. Anakin again loses his cool and gets an arm and leg taken off by Maul, who while far less powerful than Anakin in the Force is far more experienced in a battle of Dark Side powers. Maul again escapes and Obi-Wan admonishes Anakin for letting his emotions get the better of him, which Anakin responds that if Obi-Wan hadn't been holding back, Maul would be dead now.

* The movie ends with Yoda arriving on Coruscant and sitting in on a meeting between Palpatine and Windu. After a few words with Mace, Yoda turns to Palpatine and makes it very clear that he knows that Palpatine is playing a game and that when the time comes, he will step in to deal with it once and for all. Palpatine, who uses the Force to make his shadow seem larger and breaks into his Emperor voice, replies that when that time comes, what makes Yoda so sure that he can deal with him. Yoda forces back some of Palpatine's shadow and walks away without another word. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan is watching a big screen (think Times Square size screen) replay of Anakin's actions on Geonosis, with cheers and adulation being heaped on his apprentice. Windu arrives and the two of them discuss the way that the war is shaping up and how public sentiment is turning away from the Jedi in a way that it has never done so before. Windu also mentions that the Council, despite his objections, has voted to make Anakin a full-fledged Jedi Knight in light of his bravery and skills at Geonosis. Windu straight out asks Obi-Wan if Anakin is going to be a problem, to which Obi-Wan replies that he will not be. Meanwhile, Lars Owen lands a transport on Alderaan and Anakin, now with a robotic leg and arm, limps off of the ship and into the waiting arms of Padme.

EPISODE III * Three years pass since the end of Episode II. The war is dragging and the Republic government and populace blame the Jedi for holding back the clones. The only Jedi that has any sort of public sentiment behind him is Anakin Skywalker, who has become a superstar general (he's freakin' Captain America with a lightsaber). Bail Organa has retired from his position as Senior Senator to become an aide and counselor to Padme, who now holds that position. Padme and Anakin are barely concealing their relationship (as in, everyone including the Jedi Council are all but sure that it is happening but don't say anything), including the fact that Padme is visibly pregnant. The CIS, with Darth Maul acting as general, launch a surprise attack on Coruscant and the Senate Chamber itself as Chancellor Valorum to make an announcement regarding a peace summit. Anakin and Obi-Wan lead several Jedi and a battalion of Storm Troopers into a pitched battle inside the Senate itself while Captain Lars Owen coordinates his fighter squadron with Kenobi and Skywalker. Once again, Anakin unabashedly uses excessive force in dealing with the droids and the Mandalorians while Obi-Wan confronts Maul. The two have a straight up duel, which Obi-Wan is able to take the advantage in. Maul, in seeming desperation, grabs Valorum and dares Obi-Wan to risk hurting him. As they stand in stalemate, Anakin appears behind Maul and lops off Maul's head.

* After the battle, Palpatine reveals to the Jedi and the Senior Senators that intelligence has determined that, after the loss of Raxus and Dac over the course of the war, the Confederate Council has made a final redoubt on Utapau. In recognition for his heroism and leadership, Palpatine appoints Anakin as military executor of the Clone Forces and as his personal liason to the Jedi Council. Windu, who of course has come to be more and more wary of Skywalker because of his actions during the war, reacts badly (giving that whole thing about admitting Anakin to the council but not giving him the rank of master a lot more personal animosity behind it). Obi-Wan tries to console his former apprentice and best friend by saying that once he and several other sympathetic members of the council have a chance to speak with Windu, that everything will be put to right. He also cautions Anakin about his new role and says that while it is a great opportunity, Anakin should not let his passion for righting every wrong in the galaxy outweigh the oath he took as a Jedi Knight. Later Anakin complains to Padme about the entire situation and that Obi-Wan has become more and more condescending, while he should be following Anakin's lead. Padme cautions that he and Palpatine have gained a great deal of power over the last few years and that with his new promotion, many in the Senate are concerned with what will happen regarding the military after the war is over. Anakin accuses her of siding with Obi-Wan and storms out.

* The Battle of Utapau is launched and Anakin and Obi-Wan, along with a handful of other Jedi and several divisions of Storm Troopers, lay waste to the last of the droid and Mandalorian forces protecting the Separatist leadership. Upon the capture of the council, Anakin calls for their immediate summary executions, but Obi-Wan and Windu step between Anakin and the captives. Obi-Wan asks Anakin if what he is calling for the justice he believes in. Anakin agrees to have them stand trial, but that after that trial they will die for their crimes.

* Anakin returns to Coruscant a hero. He speaks with Palpatine and reports on the actions of the Jedi Council at Utapau. Palpatine remarks that sometimes for the good of the many, a single person must make a decision, no matter how unpopular that decision is. He then begins spouting, in a roundabout way, Sith political philosophy until finally revealing to Anakin that he was Darth Maul's master and a full fledged Lord of the Sith. Anakin realizes that everything that has happened over the last decade has been Palpatine's maneuvering, to which Palpatine replies that finally all of the dissension and disatisfaction in the Republic has been rooted out and that a true peace has been enforced across the Galaxy. Anakin leaves. A short time later, Palpatine, in full Emperor garb, enters into Valorum's office and kills the old man with his lightsaber.

* Meanwhile, Yoda returns and tells Windu that events are spinning out of hand and that the Dark Side has taken such a deep root in the heart of the Republic that he doubts if it will ever be exorcised. Windu bemoans that he has not been able to save the Republic as past grandmasters had and that even with their so-called Chosen One, he fears the Jedi will forever be lost to who they once were. Yoda comments that perhaps the prophecy of the Chosen One was misunderstood.

* Anakin returns to Padme and vaguely tells her what he knows and asks her advice. She says that if there is something wrong of the scale he is talking about, he should tell the Jedi Council and Obi-Wan. Anakin then goes and does just that, though Obi-Wan has not returned from Utapau yet. Windu and the senior members of the Jedi Council go to Palpatine's office, where they find the body of Valorum and Palpatine himself sitting waiting. After Palpatine manipulates Windu into broadcasting their conversation over the holonet (with Palpatine of course playing the martyr), Palpatine unleashes his attack and kills all by Windu, who engages him in a furious duel. Meanwhile, Anakin is restless with Padme. Padme makes the comment that the needs of the many, meaning for the Republic, are always greater than the needs of the one, in this case either Palpatine or Anakin. Anakin, however, interprets this as meaning that Palpatine was right and he storms over to Palpatine's office, where he finds Windu ready to strike down Palpatine. Using his Force power, Anakin literally catches Windu's blade with his bare hand, giving Palpatine the opening to unleash his Force Lightning and fry Windu. Anakin immediately regrets his actions, but Palpatine reminds him that not only had the Jedi tried to kill him to prevent him from preserving the peace they had fought so long for, it was the Jedi's meddling that had caused the war to last as long as it had. He also tells Anakin that not using their powers to bring immediate and final peace and justice to the Galaxy would itself be irresponsible. Anakin agrees and acknowledges that he will never realize his full potential or bring about the lasting change he believes in as a Jedi, agreeing to begin his life anew as Palpatine's Sith Apprentice.

* Palpatine issues Order 66 while Anakin decimates the Jedi Temple with his personal legion of Storm Troopers, the 501st. As Jedi across the Galaxy, who are either returning to Coruscant to celebrate the end of the war or are on mop-up missions, are gunned down, Palpatine also orders the summary executions of the entire Confederacy Council. Palpatine, along with Anakin, then announce to the Senate that the Jedi murdered Chancellor Valorum and attempted to take over the government, as proven by the holonet transmission. Under the emergency powers given to him as Minister of Defense, Palpatine declares an immediate state of martial law and the reorganization of the government into an imperial one, to better root out the threat of the Jedi once and for all. While there are many who approve of this action, Padme and Bail Organa, along with quite a few other senators, leave in disgust.

* Obi-Wan, having survived his own encounter with Order 66, realizes that there are only a small handful of Jedi left. Using a long-forgotten code, he calls for all remaining Jedi to go to the Jedi safehouse on Mustafar.

* Meanwhile, Padme and Bail Organa leave Coruscant in protest of the new actions, but not before Anakin confronts her about her opposition to the government. She tells him that they are through and that he is no longer the man she loved. She also tells him that Obi-Wan was right about him all along, that his power and his anger made him far too dangerous. Anakin says that she has betrayed him to side with Obi-Wan and that if she leaves now, he can't protect her anymore. She and Bail leave anyway. No sooner does Bail Organa's ship break orbit than a small flotilla of Republic Star Destroyers close in on them. However, it is revealed that Owen Lars has led a mutiny against the clones following news of Palpatine's takeover and that their ship would escort them back to Alderaan.

* Obi-Wan and the few remaining Jedi Knights, having now seen the footage of Anakin's attack on the Jedi Temple, try to come up with a plan for how to proceed. Their planning is interrupted by the arrival of a flotilla of ships. Padme contacts Obi-Wan from aboard the largest ship and says that she could not, in good conscience, leave the Jedi to fend for themselves. They discuss Anakin's betrayal and the likelihood that a confrontation between the two men is inevitable. Obi-Wan tells her that if that happens, he doesn't think he can cross blades with his best friend.

* Palpatine contacts Anakin and tells him that the Imperial Intelligence has intercepted and deciphered a message instructing all Jedi to go to Mustafar. Palpatine then reveals imaging that clearly shows Padme going aboard and then leaving a rebel Star Destroyer captained by Anakin's old friend. Feeling utterly betrayed by everyone close to him, Anakin begins to despair, but Palpatine admonishes him to see this as his rebirth. Anakin Skywalker is no more. He must be reborn as Darth Vader.

* Anakin takes his flagship and several support ships to Mustafar, where he is confronted by Lars' flotilla. After an unsuccessful attempt by Owen to try and get him to see reason, Anakin takes to his personal fighter and enters the battle, whereupon he unleashes Force powers on a massive scale (think Force Unleashes level stuff). As rebellious RDF ground forces and several of the remaining Jedi begin to engage the Storm Troopers that are landing, Padme and Bail try to get Obi-Wan and as many of the other Jedi to board Padme's ship as possible to escape. Anakin arrives on the planet after shooting down (but not destroying) Owen and begins wreaking havoc on the assembled Jedi and RDF forces. As he cleaves through the last of the Jedi Council on his way toward Obi-Wan, Padme confronts him and begs him to stop and see what he is becoming. Anakin responds that this is her last chance to return home with him and enjoy the peace that they had worked so hard to secure. Padme responds that if the peace he wants looks like this (with Storm Troopers and TIE Fighters cutting down all opposition), then she wants no part of it or him. Anakin declares that she and Bail are traitors to the Imperial Senate along with the Jedi and that they are hereby under arrest and will stand trial.

* As he approaches her, Padme pulls a blaster on him and fires wildly, which he instinctively blocks with his lightsaber. Enraged, Anakin begins to Force-Choke her. Obi-Wan, who had been dealing with Storm Troopers, sees what is happening and Force-Pushes Anakin through a wall. Bail and Owen, along with R2, arrive on the scene and find a mortally wounded Padme in Obi-Wan's arms. Obi-Wan instructs the men to take Padme, who is going into labor, aboard the ship and prepare to leave. Anakin gets back on his feet and begins walking toward the group. Obi-Wan intercepts him and asks, as he did on Utapau, if this is the justice he believes in, to which Anakin replies that this is revenge for everything Obi-Wan has taken from him. Obi-Wan says that the Anakin he loved and who could have saved the Galaxy is truly dead. The fight begins.

* Meanwhile on Coruscant, Yoda again enters into Palpatine's presence, this time in the in-construction Imperial Throne Room. Yoda remarks that he had long believed that the truth of the prophecy was that the balance brought by the Chosen One to the Force was going to be one that saw the influence of the Jedi waning. He remarks that the only reason he had not acted against Palpatine up to that point was because he knew that, had he struck Palpatine down, some other evil would have taken his place and the end result would have been the same, if not worse. Palpatine replies that Yoda is the last vestige of a defeated ideology and that when he strikes him down, his victory over the Jedi and their useless spirituality will be gone forever. The two begin to fight, though not with lightsabers. Their battle is with the straight-up Force. Force Lightning. Force Storms. Force Shockwaves. Force Vortexes. Pretty much every non-physical Force offensive or defensive ability you can think of. After Palpatine overpowers him and nearly crushes him underneath the roof, Yoda stands and ignites his lightsaber. Palpatine does the same and the two again go at it with much more ferocity. Palpatine is able to disarm Yoda, but Yoda is able to drive him back with an exceptionally powerful Force Push. Palpatine then begins to draw on the Force Well beneath the former Jedi Temple, which Yoda realizes could collapse the planet if it is infused with too much Dark Side. Not willing to endanger a whole planet to ensure that Palpatine is defeated, Yoda retreats, knowing that his one chance to end the threat of the new Emperor has passed and that he will be forced to live with his failure for the rest of his life. He escapes aboard an Imperial shuttle and then a Star Destroyer using a series of illusions and mind tricks.

* Back on Mustafar, the battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin seems very one-sided. Obi-Wan is spending most of his time being scrappy and trying to stay just one step ahead of his former apprentice while Anakin is simply ripping apart whole portions of the installation (and the planet) in an attempt to kill his prey. The twins are born aboard Padme's ship, thanks in large part to C3PO and R2-D2's assistance to Bail and Owen. However, Padme finally dies of her injuries and the traumatic delivery. Owen says that they should leave immediately without Obi-Wan to save the twins, but Bail begs him to give the Jedi Master more time. Obi-Wan and Anakin continue to battle back and forth, with Obi-Wan scoring tactical blows where he can while barely staying ahead of Anakin's onslaught. The fight ranges all over the installation until Obi-Wan manages to gain the high ground. Obi-Wan tells Anakin that he is exhausted and that there is no way that he can continue the fight without risking death. Anakin charges ahead anyway and gets most of his limbs sliced off for his trouble. Obi-Wan debates finishing the crippled and slowly burning Anakin off, but still can't bring himself to kill his brother and best friend. He returns to the ship and he, along with Owen, Bail, the droids, and the twins, leave for Alderaan.

* Padme's funeral is held while Owen, Bail, and Obi-Wan try to figure out what to do next. They are joined by a worn-down Yoda, who reveals his own failure and that all he has left to him is his lifetime of experience to teach those who would fight the Emperor's evil. He also reveals that Anakin is still alive. Cut to Palpatine and the remaining members of the 501st taking the wounded Vader to a massive fortress on Vjun, where we once again get to see the birth of the Darth Vader we all know and love. Obi-Wan beats himself up over his part in Anakin's fall, but Yoda reminds him that as the Chosen One, Anakin was almost certainly always going to bring about the balance of the Force through the decimation of the Jedi and that had it not been for the people in his life who had inspired him to good, the end could have been much worse. Owen also points out that no matter what anyone else did to him or what part they may or may not have played in allowing Anakin to go as far as he did, every man is responsible for his own actions. The four then agree that the twins should be split up and hidden away, knowing that if the Emperor or Vader were to discover their existence he would not rest until they were under their control or destroyed. Bail takes Leia, reasoning that with his continued popularity and political clout with both the senate and the galactic populace at large, the Emperor would be loathe to act against him while he was still consolidating his power (though Owen does tell R2 to go with him to keep an eye on things). Owen takes Luke and decides to return with his wife to Tatooine. When Obi-Wan volunteers to go to ensure Luke is safe, Owen tells him that he is free to go wherever he wants, but that Obi-Wan is to stay away from Luke, reasoning that aside from the fact that if Vader knows where Obi-Wan is he will almost certainly come for him, that Luke and Leia both deserve a chance to live their lives without any damn fool crusades putting them in their father's shadow. Obi-Wan agrees, but says that if either of the children ever want to explore their Force potential, he would not hesitate to help them. Owen and Bail agree, provided it is the child's choice and that the truth about Anakin's fall and his identity be kept a secret. The four part ways.

* The movie ends with Yoda sitting alone on a stump on Dagobah looking up at the sky; The Emperor is overseeing the mobilization of a whole division of Storm Troopers while the Imperial Star Destroyers and TIE Fighters we all know and love fly overhead as Vader stands behind him, looking as wistful as is possible in the armor; Bail and his wife with a young (four or five year old) Leia standing in front of the flame marking Padme's grave and pointing to a distant star; and finally, Owen and Beru showing a same-aged Luke the stars outside their home on Tatooine, while far in the distance Obi-Wan watches all of them before himself looking to the stars.

The rest of the movies would largely remain the same, with some small tidbits here and there or tweaks to scenes to underscore the overall message.

It sounds like you and those guys have some more thoughts in common, too..

Of course, I like how you made Padme a sentor's aide vs. how they made Padme & Bail siblings...

The Virgin Connie Swail

Everyone seems to forget that Leia remembers her mother. That she died when Leia was a little girl. I always believed Anakin didn't know she was pregnant. Well until the prequels. Vader didn't care that she left him. Obi-wan was with her when she gave birth, he, Owen and Yoda agreed to hide Luke. Trying to conceal his connection with the force. Leia would be assumed the natural daughter of her mother and adopted father.

The Virgin Connie Swail

Everyone seems to forget that Leia remembers her mother. That she died when Leia was a little girl. I always believed Anakin didn't know she was pregnant. Well until the prequels. Vader didn't care that she left him. Obi-wan was with her when she gave birth, he, Owen and Yoda agreed to hide Luke. Trying to conceal his connection with the force. Leia would be assumed the natural daughter of her mother and adopted father.

Rain Partier

Black_Orchid wrote:Everyone seems to forget that Leia remembers her mother. That she died when Leia was a little girl. I always believed Anakin didn't know she was pregnant. Well until the prequels. Vader didn't care that she left him. Obi-wan was with her when she gave birth, he, Owen and Yoda agreed to hide Luke. Trying to conceal his connection with the force. Leia would be assumed the natural daughter of her mother and adopted father.

Rain Partier

Black_Orchid wrote:Everyone seems to forget that Leia remembers her mother. That she died when Leia was a little girl. I always believed Anakin didn't know she was pregnant. Well until the prequels. Vader didn't care that she left him. Obi-wan was with her when she gave birth, he, Owen and Yoda agreed to hide Luke. Trying to conceal his connection with the force. Leia would be assumed the natural daughter of her mother and adopted father.

FROGMAN

Well it was really boring and goofy, so probably a better script. That's the best you could short of replacing the director.

Very much new script. Better villain, better plot. I think the director has proven he could still do something, but his angle needs to change dramatically for this film to work. I would kill the fixation on making it the end of Batman's story, but if you really have to do that there are many other ways to do it.

FROGMAN

Well it was really boring and goofy, so probably a better script. That's the best you could short of replacing the director.

Very much new script. Better villain, better plot. I think the director has proven he could still do something, but his angle needs to change dramatically for this film to work. I would kill the fixation on making it the end of Batman's story, but if you really have to do that there are many other ways to do it.